What Does “Propitiation” in Rom 3:25 Mean?

Dictionary.com defines “propitiation” as “by which it becomes consistent with his character … to pardon … the sinner.” Let me illustrate the concept being described. Suppose I were to tell my son over and over that I was going to spank him if he did such and such, but said child kept doing such over and over and I never spanked him. Instead I just kept “letting him off the hook.” Would you have any respect for me as a Father? Though my son would probably be glad to get out of a spanking, I doubt he would respect me either.

Similarly God has said “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23), but if He pardons us so that we don’t have to die for our sin, if He lets us off the hook so to speak, how can we respect God? The question boils down to this: How is it consistent for God to forgive us of our sins and still remain just? Romans 3:23-26 provides the answer, and bears out our earlier Dictionary.com definition. God remains “consistent with his character” even as He does “pardon the sinner.” That is, God can let us off the hook, because Jesus is taking the due penalty for us.

We see this in Rom 3:24-25. When Jesus redeemed us thru His death, that very act did “declare His righteousness” for the “remission of sins that are past,” that is, all of the times he forgave Old Testament saints in their day. God was declared righteous in forgiving sins for centuries past by Jesus’ death which paid for those sins. We see the same in verse 26. Jesus’ shed blood enables God to be the “justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” and at the same time remain “just.” He doesn’t just let us off the hook with no one paying the consequences. Jesus paid the price for all so anyone choosing to be an obedient believer (verse 26, II Thess 1:8) can be “let off the hook.”

We need to very thankful for what Jesus has done for us, don’t we? And serve him accordingly out of that appreciation.