In our text on Sunday, we saw Jacob try to appease his brother Esau with a large tribute. Esau had a right to be angry after Jacob tricked him out of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and his blessing from their father (Genesis 27:1-41).

Jacob was understandably afraid when he found out Esau was approaching with 400 men (Genesis 32:6). Jacob knew he was guilty before his brother, and he attempted to make things right with Esau through a gift. Whether one would consider Jacob’s tribute to Esau as smart, shrewd, deceptive or cowardly, his attempts to appease the offended party through a gift is a relatively common reaction.

The doctrine of propitiation points the believer to a gift that appeased God’s holy wrath against sinners.

Wayne Grudem defines propitiation as “a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in doing so changes God’s wrath toward us into favor.” Propitiation is probably not a word we use too often, but it is a word that beautifully illustrates the depths of God’s love for His people.

There are many attributes that could be accurately used to describe God, but when the Bible gives us a glimpse into the throne room of God, the attribute on the lips of the angelic beings is the holiness of God (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). When the Bible proclaims God is holy, it is saying that God is perfect, and that there is a clear and necessary separation between Him in His holiness and everything that falls short of His holiness.

God is not only holy, He is also just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 30:18). A holy and just God must punish those who disregard and disobey His righteous standards–which is a problem for us, because we disobeyed His righteous standards more times than we could possibly count, and are thereby deserving of the punishment of a righteous judge.

Thankfully, the holy and just God of the universe is also loving and gracious!

1 John 4:7-11 – Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (NKJV)

God demonstrated His love for His people by sending His Son into the world. Jesus came into the world He created. He humbly took on human flesh, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a perfect life—never once falling short of the righteous standards of God—and died a sacrificial death on the cross. On the third day Jesus rose from the grave, conquering sin and death. He then ascended into heaven and is currently seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercessions for His people.

There are so many incredible layers to the doctrine of propitiation. 1 John 4:10 doesn’t just say that Jesus died as the offering to pay for our sins, but that the Father sent Jesus to “be the propitiation for our sins.” Even though it is our sin that has separated us from God and has justly brought His wrath upon us, He loved us enough that He provided the gift to appease His own wrath.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary states it well: “It is God who is ‘propitiated’ by the vindication of His holy and righteous character, whereby, through the provision He has made in the vicarious and expiatory sacrifice of Christ, He has so dealt with sin that He can show mercy to the believing sinner in the removal of his guilt and the remission of his sins.” We may need to read that quote a couple of times and even look up some of the words in the dictionary–but it’s worth it to spend time meditating on the incredible truth that God graciously provided the means necessary to appease His wrath and to adopt wretched sinners into His royal family.

In 1 John 4, the wise apostle transitions immediately from the love of God in sending Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins (4:10) to the call for us as the people of God to love one another (4:11). May our study of the doctrine of propitiation lead us to a greater appreciation for the amazing love God has for us, and may it motivate us to grow more and more in our love for others.