Propitiation* — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

The act of appeasing another person’s anger by the offering of a gift. The word was often used by the pagans in antiquity, for they thought of their gods as unpredictable beings, liable to become angry with their worshipers for any trifle. When disaster struck, it was often thought that a god was angry and was therefore punishing his worshipers. The remedy was to offer a sacrifice without delay. A well-chosen offering would appease the god and put him in a good mood again. This process was called propitiation.

Understandably, some modern theologians have reacted against using the term in reference to the God of the Bible. They do not see him as one who can be bribed to become favorable, so they reject the whole idea. When they come to the term in the Greek NT, they translate it by “expiation” or some equivalent term that lacks any reference to anger. This is an unjustified avoidance because, in the first place, the Greek term for propitiation occurs in some important biblical passages (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). In the second place, the idea of the wrath of God is found throughout the Bible; it must be taken into account in the way sin is forgiven.

Show passage in OET: ROM 3:25

OET-RV ROM 3:25

25 who God placed on the altar as a sacrifice for sin. This happens through faith in his blood, which was a sign of his sinlessness.
¶ (God hasn’t yet judged those who sinned in the past,

OET-LV ROM 3:25

25 whom set _forth the god as_an_atonement, through the faith in the of _him blood, for a_sign of _the righteousness of _him, because _of the forbearance of _the having _previously _happened sins

Show passage in OET: HEB 2:17

OET-RV HEB 2:17

17 That’s why he had to be just like his brothers and sisters, so that he could become the merciful and faithful chief priest representing God, in order to pay the price for the people’s sins.

OET-LV HEB 2:17

17 Whence he _was _ought in all things to _his brothers to _be _likened, in _order _that a_merciful he _may _become and faithful chief _priest in _the things for the god, in _order that to _be _being _made _atonement the sins of _the people.

Show passage in OET: JN1 2:2

OET-RV JN1 2:2

2 and it’s him who is the atonement for our sins—not just our sins, but also the sins of the entire world.

OET-LV JN1 2:2

2 and he is the_atonement for the sins of _us, and not for the our sins only, but also for all the world.

Show passage in OET: JN1 4:10

OET-RV JN1 4:10

10 So this is real love, not us loving God, but God loving us and sending his son to be the sacrifice to clear us of the sentence from our sins.

OET-LV JN1 4:10

10 In this is the love, not that we have _loved the god, but that he loved us, and sent _out the son of _him, an_atonement for the sins of _us.

Jump to OET ROM 3:25 section.

Jump to OET HEB 2:17 section.

Jump to OET JN1 2:2 section.

Jump to OET JN1 4:10 section.

The idea that God cannot be angry is not based on the OT or the NT. God does have anger for the sins of the human race. Whenever his children sin, they provoke the anger of God. Of course, his anger is not an irrational lack of self-control, as it so often is with humans. His anger is the settled opposition of his holy nature to everything that is evil. Such opposition to sin cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand. It requires something much more substantial. And the Bible states that it was only the cross that did this. Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2, KJB). This is not the only way of looking at the cross, but it is an important way. If God’s anger is real, then it must be taken into account in the way that sin, which caused that wrath, is dealt with. When the NT speaks of “propitiation,” it means that Jesus’ death on the cross for the sins of mankind put away God’s wrath against his people once and for all.