Expiatory Sacrifice
Read Romans 3:25, 26. How does Paul explain what Christ’s sacrifice did for us?
The specific use of the word sacrifice (NIV; “propitiation,” KJV) to designate the death of Christ is not symbolic or metaphorical but expresses the reality of what happened; Christ sacrificed Himself for us. The Old Testament sacrifices were mere reflections of this true and genuine sacrifice, which sits at the core of what God has done for us.
First, this sacrifice was provided by God Himself to restore our relationship with Him (Rom. 3:25). What we could not do, God did for us in the person of His Son. Second, this was an act of substitution. Christ is described as sinless, without any defect; yet, He was offered as a sin offering (Rom. 8:3, 2 Cor. 5:21). He bore our sin on the tree, and died for us and in our place (1 Pet. 2:21-24). By taking our sin upon Himself, He cleansed us from it and brought us back to unity with God.
Third, Christ’s sacrifice is propitiatory in the sense that it liberated us from the wrath of God. In Romans Paul introduces the sacrifice of Christ after establishing that the world was under sin and legally under the condemnation of God (Rom. 1-3). The wrath of God was already making itself present against the injustices and perversions of humans (Rom. 1:18). Through the sacrifice of Christ we are liberated from that wrath, and God’s love reaches us in salvation. Propitiation does not mean that Christ persuaded the Father to love us; it means that Christ’s sacrifice made it possible for God’s love to reach us. Christ experienced God’s wrath against sin so that we don’t have to experience it ourselves. Consequently, the Cross is not only the place where God’s love is revealed but also the place where His wrath against sin was manifested.
Fourth, the sacrifice of Christ expresses, actualizes, and provides the legal foundation for God’s will to save us. Our redemption and reconciliation would not have been possible without the sacrificial blood of Christ (Acts 20:28, Col. 1:20, Rev. 5:9). It is because of His death on the cross as the only and unique sacrificial victim that God is able to justify those who believe in Christ (Rom. 5:9). By condemning sin in Christ, God demonstrated that He is righteous when justifying those who believe in Christ (Rom. 3:26).
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