Of propitiation, atonement, and
reconciliation,
As ascribed to christ
John Gill
Having observed, that though
the word "satisfaction" is not syllabically used in scripture,
when the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction is spoken of; yet that there are
words and terms equivalent to it, and synonymous with it; as
"propitiation, atonement", and "reconciliation": it may be
proper to explain these terms, and give the sense of them; which may serve the
more to clear and confirm the doctrine of satisfaction; and to begin,
1. First, with
"Propitiation": the first time we meet with this word, and as applied
to Christ, is in #Ro 3:25. "Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation"; either to be the author of propitiation; for whose sake,
and on account of what he was to do and suffer, God would be propitious to
men--his justice be appeased--and he be at peace with them;
laying aside all marks of displeasure, anger, and resentment against them: for
this was Christ's work as Mediator; he drew nigh to God, and treated with him
about terms of peace, and entered into measures of peace with him; interposed
between justice and them, became a Mediator between God and man, to bring them
together; hence he has the names of Shiloh, the Prince of peace, the Man the Peace, and Jesus our peace, who has made both one: or else
to be the propitiatory sacrifice for sin; such hilastic, propitiatory, and
expiatory sacrifices there were under the law; typical of the expiatory and
propitiatory sacrifice of Christ; and as God in them smelled a sweet savour of
rest, as types of Christ; so his sacrifice was an offering of a sweet smelling
savour to him; he was well pleased with it, it gave him
content and satisfaction, because his justice was appeased by it, and the
demands of his law were answered, yea, it was magnified and made honourable;
the word used in the above text ilasthrion, is the same which the Greek version
of #Ex 25:21 and which the apostle, in #Heb 9:5 use of the mercy seat; which,
with the cherubim upon it, and the ark, with the law therein under it, to which
it was a lid or cover, formed a seat for the divine Majesty;
and which was an emblem of his mercy and justice shining in the atonement made
by Christ, which this exhibited to view; and gave encouragement to draw nigh to
this mercy seat, or throne of grace, in hope of finding grace and mercy, and
enjoying communion with God: a glimpse of this the poor publican had, when he
said, "God be merciful", ilasyhti, "propitious, to me a sinner!" or be merciful to me, through the propitiation
of the Messiah. Now Christ was "set forth" to be the propitiation in
the purposes and decrees of God, proeyeto, God "foreordained" him, as
he was foreordained to be the Lamb slain, as the ransom price and propitiatory
sacrifice; whose sufferings and death, which were the sacrifice, were according
to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, #1Pe
1:19 Ac 2:23 4:28 and he was set forth in the promises and prophecies spoken of
by all the holy prophets that were from the beginning of the world; as the seed
of the woman that should bruise the serpents head, destroy him and his works,
among which this is a principal one, making an end of sin, by a complete
atonement for it; and he was set forth as such in the types and shadows of the
law, the trespass offerings, and sin offerings, which are
said to bear the sins of the congregation, and to make atonement for them;
which were typical of Christ, who was made an offering for sin, bore the sins
of many, and made atonement for them, #Le 10:17 and he has been set forth, in
the fulness of time, in the exhibition of him, in human nature, in which he was
manifested to take away sin; and he has put it away, and even
abolished it, by the propitiatory sacrifice of himself; and he is still set
forth in the gospel, as the sin bearing and sin atoning Saviour who has
satisfied law and justice, and made peace by the blood of his cross; and
therefore it is called the word of reconciliation, the gospel of peace, and the
word preaching peace by Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
There are two other places
where Christ is spoken of as ilasmov, the "propitiation"; and these
are in the first epistle of the apostle John; in one of them, #1Jo 4:10 it is
said, "God sent his Son to be the propitiation of our sins"; that is,
sent him in human nature, to offer up soul and body as a sacrifice, and thereby
make expiation of sin, and full atonement for it; and in the
other it is said, #1Jo 2:9. "And he is the propitiation for our
sins", the sins both of Jews and Gentiles; for which he is become a
propitiatory sacrifice; upon which God is "merciful", ilewv,
"propitious" to his people, notwithstanding all their
"unrighteousness, sins, and transgressions", or is "pacified
towards them for all that they have done", #Heb 8:12 Eze 16:63.
2. Secondly, the word
atonement, though often used in the Old Testament, of typical sacrifices,
making expiation of sin; as in #Le 1:4 4:20,26,31,35 5:6,10,13,16,18
16:6,10,11,16-18,27,30,32-34 #Le 17:11 where the word rpk is used, which
signifies to "cover"; and Christ, by his sacrifice, the antitype of
these, is a covering to his people, from the curses of the
law they have broken----from the wrath of God they have deserved----and from
avenging justice their sins exposed them to. Yet it is but once used in the New
Testament, #Ro 5:11. "By whom we have received the atonement" made
for them by Christ their surety, head, and representative; that is, the benefit
of it, the application of it by the Spirit of God, who takes the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ, and applies to his
people, and shows them their interest therein; the effect of which is joy,
peace, and comfort. The word used properly signifies
"reconciliation"; and so it is elsewhere translated; and the Hebrew
word rpk is sometimes rendered to "reconcile", #Le 6:30 atonement and
reconciliation for sin, design the same thing, and both satisfaction for it.
Which leads to observe,
3. Thirdly, that the word
"reconciliation" is frequently used with respect to this doctrine.
Reconciliation began with God himself; "All things are of God",
originally, in nature, providence, and grace; particularly this, "Who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ", #2Co 5:18.
It began in the thoughts of his heart, which were thoughts of peace; it was
brought into council and settled in covenant, called the council and covenant
of peace. It was carried into execution by Christ, who is frequently represented
as the author of it, by his death, and the blood of his cross, #Ro 5:10 Eph
2:16 Col 1:20-22 and it was made unto God, against whom sin is
committed, whose law is broken, and his justice offended; and who is the
Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, #Ro 5:10 Eph 2:16 and it is a
reconciliation for sin, to make atonement for it, #Da 9:24 Heb 2:17 and of
sinners and enemies in their minds to God, #Ro 5:10 Col 1:21 which may be
further illustrated,
3a. First, by observing the
character of the persons reconciled; which will show the cause, reason, and
necessity of a reconciliation to be made; they are "enemies"; and in
one of the texts referred to, they are said to be "enemies in their minds
by wicked works": which is expressive,
3a1. Of the
internal enmity there is in their minds and hearts;
the carnal
mind, as every man's mind is naturally carnal, is
not only an
enemy, but "enmity" itself, "against God",
#Ro 8:7 to
the Being of God----wishing there was no God----to
the nature and perfections of God, denying some of them,
misrepresenting
others, and framing him in their minds, as
altogether
such an one as themselves----to the purposes and
decrees of
God, which they cannot bear, and to which they
insolently
reply; and to the providences of God, they charge
with inequality and unrighteousness: and they are inwardly
and secretly
enemies to Christ, to his person and offices;
particularly
his kingly office, being unwilling that he
should reign
over them; and to his gospel, and the special
doctrines of
it; and to his ordinances, they care not to be
subject unto: and so they are to the Spirit, to his Person,
whom they
know not, nor can receive; to his operations,
which they
deride and ridicule; the things of the Spirit of
God are foolishness
to them: and they are enemies to the
people of
God, there is an old and implacable enmity between
the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent; the
saints are
hated by the world, because chosen and called out
of the
world; God's elect themselves, while in a state of
nature, are
hateful, and hating one another; Paul, a chosen
vessel of
salvation, was, while unregenerate, exceeding mad
3a2. There
is an external enmity, which appears by wicked works
and sinful actions
openly committed: which are acts of
hostility
against God, are contrary to his nature and will
are abominable in his sight provoke the eyes of his glory,
excite his
wrath, and cause it to be revealed from heaven,
and for
which it comes on the children of disobedience; and
all are
deserving of it: sins are breaches of the law of
God, render
men liable to the curses of it, and to death
itself, the sanction of it; they not only all with enmity
to
God, and
show it to him, but set men at a distance from him;
so that they
have no communion with him, are far off, are
without him,
and separate from him. But,
3a3. Men are not only enemies internally, and externally to
God,
but there is
an enmity on the part of God to them; there is
a law
enmity, or an enmity declared in the law against them;
they are
declared by the law of God as enemies; traitors,
and rebels
to him; and as such God's elect were considered,
when Christ died to make reconciliation for them; for it is
said,
"while they were sinners Christ died for them, and
when they
were enemies they were reconciled to God, the
death of his
Son", #Ro 5:8,10. Now the far greater part of
those for
whom Christ died, were not then in an actual
sinful state, nor in actual rebellion and enmity against
God; for
then they were not in actual being; but they were
considered
as in their apostate head, as sinners in him, and
so as rebels
and traitors; as such they were deemed by the
law, and
proceeded against, proclaimed guilty, judgment came
upon them to condemnation; they were, in the eye of the
law,
and in the
sight of justice, viewed as enemies, and declared
such: and
this law enmity is what was slain by Christ, and
removed at
his death; and not that enmity that was in their
minds; that
was not removed by and at the death of Christ;
that is removed at conversion, when the arrows of the word
become sharp
in these enemies, which bring them to fall
under, and
be subject to Christ; when they are made willing
in the day
of his power, to be saved by him, to submit to
his
righteousness, and to have him to reign over them: this
is the work of the Spirit of Christ: there is a two fold
reconciliation,
one of which is the work of Christ, and was
made at his
death: the other the work of his Spirit, at
conversion;
when, by his grace, men are reconciled to the
way of
salvation by Christ; and both may be seen in one
text, #Ro 5:10. If there had been no other enmity than what
is in the
hearts of men against God, there would have been
no need of
the sufferings and death of Christ to make
reconciliation;
but there was a law enmity on the part of
God, and his
justice, which required the death of Christ to
take it away. Not that there was any enmity in the heart of
God to his
elect; that would be inconsistent with his
everlasting
and unchangeable love, which appeared strongly
towards them
at the time Christ died for them, reconciled
them, and
became the propitiation for their sins, #Ro 5:8,10
#Tit 3:3,4 1Jo 4:10. But they were, according to the law,
and in the
view of justice, deemed and declared as the
enemies of
God. So when the subjects of a king rise up in
rebellion
against him, there may be no enmity in his heart
to them; yet
they are, according to law, proclaimed rebels,
and enemies to him, and may be treated as such, and
proceeded
against in due form of law; and yet, after all, be
pardoned by
him. There was, in some sense, a reciprocal
enmity
between God and men, which made a reconciliation
necessary;
and which was brought about by the bloodshed,
sufferings, and death of Christ, when he slew the enmity of
the law, and
blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that
were against
sinners, so making peace, #Eph 2:14-16
#Col 2:14. Which
will further appear,
3b.
Secondly, By observing what reconciliation signifies and imports: there is
something similar and analogous in a case when it is made between man and man,
though not altogether the same; and some caution must be taken, lest we go into
mistakes: reconciliation between man and man, supposes a former state of
friendship subsisting between them, a breach of that friendship, and a renewing
and restoration of it: and there is something like it in
reconciliation between God and man; man, in his primeval state, was in strict
friendship with God, not only Adam personally being made after the image, and
in the likeness of God, having dominion over all the creatures, made for his
use, and which were brought to him, to be named by him; and having an
habitation in a most delightful garden, where he was allowed
to eat of all kind of fruit in it, but one; and where he enjoyed communion with
God: in all this honour he was; and not he only, but all his posterity,
considered in him, as their head and representative, were in a state of
friendship with God; hence the covenant made with him, in which he was their
federal head, is rightly called by divines, "foedus amicitiae", a
covenant of friendship: but man abode not long in this
state; sin, that whisperer and agitator, soon separated chief friends;
alienated man from the life of God, caused him to apostatize from him, and to
become a traitor to him; filled him with enmity to him, and set him at a
distance from him; and in this state of alienation and enmity, all his
posterity naturally are; with respect to the elect of God among them, Christ
has interposed, appeased justice, satisfied the law, and
made reconciliation for them, and brought them into an open state of friendship
with God; so that they are considered, in consequence of this, as Abraham was,
the friends of God, and are treated as such, #Jas 2:23 So 5:1 Joh 15:15 have
the blessings of divine favour bestowed upon them, and rich communications of
grace made unto them.
But here we must proceed
warily, and observe some things to prevent mistakes and misrepresentations; for
perhaps there is not one thing in the whole scheme of evangelical truths more
difficult rightly to fix than this. It should be considered, that properly
speaking there are no passions nor perturbations of mind in God, who is a spirit, simple and uncompounded, and not capable of such
things; when therefore displeasure, anger, provocation, resentment, &c. are
ascribed to him, it must be understood after the manner of men; that he says
something in his word, and does something in his providence, and the outward
dispensations of it, which is somewhat similar to what men say and do, when the
above is the case with them; otherwise we are not to
conceive that God is in a passion, and is ruffled, and his mind disturbed, as
they are. Nor are we to imagine there is any change in God, as in men, who are
sometimes friends, then enemies, and then friends again; he changes not, there
is no variableness nor shadow of turning in him; he may change his voice to his
people, and speak comfortably to them in his gospel, who before spoke terribly
to them in his law; he may change his outward conduct and
behaviour towards them, and carry it friendly to them, when before as at a
distance: but he never changes his mind, counsel and affections to them; his
love is everlasting and invariable; he ever rested in it, and nothing can
separate from it; his love is never changed to enmity, and from enmity to love
again; his special secret favour, as it is never lost, needed no recovery; nor did Christ, by making satisfaction and
reconciliation for sin, procure the love and favour of God to his people; for
Christ's being sent to be the propitiation, his sufferings and death, sacrifice
and satisfaction, were the fruit and effect of the love of God, and not the
cause of it, #Joh 3:16 Ro 5:8 1Jo 4:10. The reconciliation made by Christ was
not to the love of God, which was never lost, but to the
justice of God, offended by sin; the flaming sword, which turned every way and
threatened vengeance, was plunged into the heart of Christ, the surety of his
people, which was done to declare the righteousness and satisfy the justice of
God; and to open a way for mercy to display itself, and turn its hand upon the
little ones; and thus justice and mercy happily met together, and were
reconciled to one another in their different pleas and
demands, #Zec 13:7 Ro 3:25,26 Ps 85:10. The reconciliation made by Christ is
for sin, to make satisfaction for it, #Da 9:24 #Heb 2:17 and on that account it
is a reconciliation of sinners to God, he being thereby pacified towards them
for all that they have done; being well pleased with what Christ has done and
suffered for them; he is well pleased with him, and with all that are considered in him, who are accepted in him the beloved,
and are admitted into an open state of favour; which is meant by their having
access through Christ into the grace wherein they stand, #Mt 3:17 Eph 1:6 Ro
5:2 for though the love of God to his elect is invariable and unchangeable in
itself, yet the manifestation of it is different; and it may be distinguished
into secret and open love; there are obstructions by sin
thrown in the way of love, which must be removed, in order to enjoy open favour
and the blessings of it, and which are removed by Christ; thus Christ was made
under the law, to redeem his people, that they might receive the adoption of
children; and was made a curse for them, that the blessings of grace love had
provided in covenant for them, might come upon them; and he was made sin, and a sin offering for them, that they might be made the
righteousness of God in him; and be brought into a state of open fellowship and
communion with him, who before were kept at a distance. Thus David, though he
most affectionately loved his son Absalom, and longed for him, when for an
offence he fled; and though through the mediation of Joab he was allowed to
return to Jerusalem, yet the king would not suffer him to
see his face for the space of full two years; when by the mediation of the same
person he was admitted into the king's presence, taken into open favour, and
kissed by him, #2Sa 13:39 14:1,21,24,33.
3c. Thirdly, the means by
which this reconciliation is made, are the bloodshed and death
of Christ; he only is the reconciler and peace maker; a sinner cannot make
peace with God or reconciliation, that is, satisfaction for his sins; not by
his works of righteousness, which are impure and imperfect; nor by repentance,
which the law does not admit of, nor is it any satisfaction to it; nor by
faith, for that does not make, only receives the atonement made by Christ;
there is nothing a sinner can do, will make peace and
reconciliation for him; and what will, he cannot do; which is no less than
fulfilling the whole law, and answering all the demands of law and justice, #Ro
8:3,4 death being the sanction of the law, and the wages of sin, there is no
reconciliation to be made but by death; not by the death of slain beasts, which
could not take away sin; nor by the death of the sinner himself: the Jews
having lost the true notion of the atonement by the
Messiah, fancy that a man's death atones for his sins; but it is a false
notion, there is no other way of peace, reconciliation, and atonement being
made, but by the death of the Son of God; who being God as well as man, could
and did give virtue and efficacy to his blood, sufferings, and death in human
nature united to his person, as to make them adequate to the said purposes.