By Shari Abbott, Reasons for Hope* Jesus

The “shuns” are biblical teachings that end in -tion? From the time of salvation to glorification, it’s important that Christians have biblical knowledge and understanding.

Fun with Shuns is a great way to learn biblical truth or to reinforce those you already know.  You can’t live and share your Christian faith, unless you first know what you believe and are able to clearly articulate it.

This study is available in iBook and print brook with DVD for individual study or church or small group gatherings.  Visit the Reasons for Hope* Jesus store.

Fun with Shuns #4

Revelation of Salvation

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“The Full Gospel”

 

RevelaTION

rev·e·la·tion \ noun \ re-və-lā-shən\

1: a : an act of revealing or communicating divine truth

b : something that is revealed by God to humans

2  a : an act of revealing to view or making known

 

The Bible is a message of progressive revelation. Beginning in Genesis, God began revealing His nature, His will and His ways.

Deuteronomy 29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

In the Old Testament God revealed Himself to a chosen people.  From the call of Abraham to the twelve tribes that became the nation of Israel, God began preparing His people for their Messiah who would come and save them.

In the New Testament, God furthered revealed Himself by sending His Son to earth, to be born of a virgin and to dwell with man on earth (Matthew 1:21-23).  With the incarnation of Jesus, God fulfilled His promise of the coming Messiah and the final passover lamb, the Lamb of God, the only One who could completely atone for the sins of man (Isaiah 53:5).  God’s revelation of His plan and purpose to us is a gift and He continues to reveal these things to those who repent and trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

Hide God’s Word in Your Heart

1 Corinthians 2:9-10  But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

SalvaTION

sal·va·tion \ noun \ sal-vā-shən\

1: a : deliverance from the power and effects of sin

b : the agent or means that effects salvation

 

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17)

The Hebrew word for salvation is yeshuw’ah (yesh-oo’-aw).  It is defined as something saved by deliverance and help.  It also implies a meaning of health and victory, as well as prosperity and welfare.

Salvation is the word used to describe the gift Jesus has given to all who come to Him in faith.  In Jesus’ incarnation He lived the life we could not live and died the death that we should die.  His death offers forgiveness of sins, and restoration of a relationship with God.  The word salvation, meaning deliverance and help, is well used to explain the biblical doctrine that addresses Jesus’ work in completely restoring man to God; however, it is not always well understood.

We can understand salvation more fully by reviewing propitiation, expiation, justification, imputation, sanctification and glorification–all of which are core doctrines of the glorious doctrine of salvation.  Let’s review propitiation and expiation.

PropitiaTION

pro·pi·ti·a·tion \ noun \ prō-pi-shē-ā-shən\

1: the act of propitiating

2: something that propitiates; specifically : an atoning

sacrifice

 pro·pi·ti·ate \ verb \ prō-pi-shē-āt\

: to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of : appease

 

Our salvation is made possible by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sins and offered Himself as both our propitiation and our expiation to God.

Propitiation speaks of appeasement toward God, a satisfaction of His wrath and a just reconciliation to Him. The word is a translation of the Greek word hilasterion, translated as “mercy seat” in Hebrews.

In the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple, every year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), two goats were offered in very different ways.  One goat was slain as an offering of propitiation (Leviticus 16:9); and the second was an offering of expiation.  The blood of the propitiatory goat was sprinkled upon the mercy seat (the covering of the Ark of the Covenant) and upon the horns of the altar (Leviticus 16:15-17)

Christ is our propitiation.  He blood was offered on a wooden altar, the cross, and the wrath of God was poured out on Him in righteous judgment for the sins of mankind. Jesus made propitiation (appeasement) for our sins, satisfying God’s wrath and justice, and opening the way for man to be reconciled to God.

Hide God’s Word in Your Heart

Leviticus 16:9, 15-16, 18  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.  “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins… And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.”

Romans 3:24-25  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. . .

1 John 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 4:10  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

ExpiaTION

ex·pi·a·tion \ noun \ ek-spē-ā-shən\

1: the act of making atonement

2: the means by which atonement is made

 

While propitiation is the act of appeasing God’s wrath and gaining favor in the eyes of God, expiation is the act of washing away sin.  Both propitiation and expiation are part of Jesus’ full atonement for man’s sin.  However as our expiation, Jesus was not satisfying the wrath of God as He was in propitiation.  The object of propitiation is God, the object of expiation is sin.  Propitiation is a work done by Jesus to satisfy God.  Expiation is a work done by Jesus to cleanse man’s sin.  Propitiation atones for sin by paying the price of sin.  Expiation atones for sin by removing the sin.  Christ’s death was both a propitiation and an expiation.

The word expiation does not appear in the Bible, but the doctrinal teaching does.  On the Day of Atonement after the first goat was killed and it’s blood offered as a propitiation, the second goat was dedicated to be the expiatory atonement.  The Bible calls the second goat, the scapegoat, ‘ez ouzel in Hebrew, which literally means “the goat that departs.”

Hands were laid upon this goat, symbolically acknowledging man’s sin and symbolically transferring man’s sins to the goat.  The goat was then sent into the wilderness, as far from the camp as possible, indicating man’s sins had been carried away.  Man’s sins were forgiven by the sacrifice, the propitiatory goat, and removed by the expiatory scapegoat.

Leviticus 16:10  …the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

The Bible tells us that our sins are “removed as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm103:12). Just as the scapegoat was sent away into the wilderness, never to be remembered again, so also our sins are forgotten by God, never to be remembered against us any more forever (Isaiah 43:25, Hebrews 8:12).

Today the word scapegoat is commonly used to refer to someone who is unjustly blamed for the wrongdoings (sins) of others.  The same was true of the expiatory scapegoat.  The goat had not sinned, but He had the sins of man put upon him.  We see that also in Jesus.  Jesus never sinned, but He willingly took upon Himself our sins.  Jesus is both our propitiation and our expiation.

Hide God’s Word in Your Heart

Leviticus 16:5-10  “And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering.  Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house.  He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.  Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat.  And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.”

Psalm 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Isaiah 43:25  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

Hebrews 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

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