God Provides the Sacrifice
Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in
His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins...that He
might be just, and a justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans
3:25,26.
A propitiation is a sacrifice. The statement here
is simply that Christ is set forth to be a sacrifice for the remission of
our sins. "Once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Hebrews 9:26. Of course the idea of a
propitiation or sacrifice is that there is wrath to be appeased. But take
particular notice that it is we who require the sacrifice, and not
God. He provides the sacrifice. The idea that God's wrath has to be
propitiated in order that we may have forgiveness finds no warrant in the
Bible.
It
is the height of absurdity to say that God is so angry with men that He will
not forgive them unless something is provided to appease His wrath, and that
therefore He Himself offers the gift to Himself, by which He is appeased.
The
heathen idea, which is too often held by professed Christians, is that men
must provide a sacrifice to appease the wrath of their god. All heathen
worship is simply a bribe to their gods to be favorable to them. If they
thought that their gods were very angry with them, they would provide a
greater sacrifice, and so human sacrifices were offered in extreme cases.
They thought that their god was gratified by the sight of blood.
Ecclesiastical
leaders imagine that salvation is by works and that men by works can atone
for sin, this is but the outcropping of the heathen idea of propitiation.
The true God is not pleased with such sacrifices. "The sacrifice of the
wicked is abomination: how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked
mind?" "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God Thou wilt not despise." Proverbs 21:27; Psalm
51:17.
Waggoner on Romans, pgs. 72, 73 |
