The Night Of The Party

Redemption . . . is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.   Romans 3:24-25, ESV

A propitiation is a payment that’s offered to placate the anger of an offended person. The best way to explain it is by introducing you to Neil and Sally.

Neil was in his twenties when he began dating Sally, an attractive girl from the office. One night Neil took Sally to a party, and he had more than a few drinks. On the way home, the unthinkable happened: the car spun out of control, smashed into an embankment, and rolled over. Both Neil and Sally were unconscious.

Hours later, Neil came around in the hospital. “How is Sally?” he asked. The doctor told him Sally was paralyzed and would never walk again, but Neil’s nightmare had only just begun. Sally refused to talk to him, and it wasn’t long before he received a letter from Sally’s lawyer.

Here are the factors in this case: 1) There’s an offense—Neil acted recklessly when he decided to drink and drive. 2) There’s an offended person—Sally is angry, and rightfully so. 3) There’s an offender—Neil knows he’s to blame, and he’s sorry for what he’s done, but that won’t change that Sally is paralyzed.

Neil’s lawyer talks with Sally’s lawyer about what it would take to settle the case. It doesn’t matter what Neil thinks. It’s all about Sally, because she is the offended party. Neil must find a way to satisfy Sally, or he will stand before the judge.

If the lawyers agree on an acceptable sum of money, the payment would be a propitiation. A propitiation is offered to placate the anger of the injured party and satisfy the need for justice so that the case cannot be raised in a court of law again.

Our sin is an offense against God; he decides what the propitiation should be. We may be sorry, and we may have ideas about what’s appropriate, but that’s irrelevant—the question is, what will satisfy God? His staggering answer is, “I put forward Jesus’ death on the cross as a propitiation.” That’s why the Bible says, “Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

For further reading, see Romans 8