The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 57

'L'he New Tcs!nment does not give us nuy explnuation of the propitiation; it presents ,,s with no theory or scheme concerning it; it simply states it as a great fact in the Divine way of salvation. And it would hnve heen well if the example of the sacred ,uiters in this respect hnd been more generally followed. Here is the declaration of St. Paul: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus : whom God set forth to be a Propitiation, through faith, by bis blood, to show his righteousness," etc. (Rom. iii. 24-26). Jesus Christ himself is snid to be the Pro- pitiation for our sins. No particular portion of his life or work, his sufferings or death, is specified in our text as constituting the propitiation. Christ, in the whole of his mediat,orial ministry-life and work, sufferings and death, resurrection, ascension, a_nd inte~c~ssion-is our Propi~iation. We venture to make two observations. (1) 'l'he prop1t1at1on was not anythmg offered to God to render him willincr to bless and save us. If proof of this were required, we have it in eh. iv. 10: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but thnt he loved us, and sent his Son to be the Propitintion for our sins." God -iic! not pruvide the propitiation to propitiate himself. Our Saviour is the Gift of the Father's love to us, not the Procurer of that love for us. It is nowhere said in the Scriptures that Christ reconciled God to man. Such reconciliation was never needed. The great Fa;hcr was always disposed to bless and save man. (2) The propitiation was designed to remove obstructions to the free flowing forth of the mercy of God to man. Here was an obstruction: man had broken the holy Law of God, had set it at nought, and was still doing so. But man cannot be pardoned while he stands in such an attitude and relation to Law. Love itself demands that Law shall be obeyed and honoured. True merc,v can only be exercised in harmony with righteousness. 'l'he well-being of man is an impossibility except he be won to loyalty to the Law of God. Jesus Christ ,indicated the solemn authority of God's holy Law by his obedience unto death, even the death of the cross. .Again, there was an obstruction in the heart of man to the free flowing forth of the mercy of God to him. Man regarded God with distrust and sus- picion, if not with enmity. "Alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works" is the apostolic description of unrenewed man. The propitiation was designed to recon- cile man t-0 God, and dispose him to accept the offered salvation. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." The sacrifice of Christ is the supreme manifesta- tion of the infinite love of God towards man (cf. eh. iii. 16; Rom. v. 8). When that love is heartily belie,·ed in, man is reconciled to God; he no longer regards him as an enemy, but as bis gracious and adorable God and Father. This accords with the state- ment of St. Paul that Christ Jesus is "a Propitiation through faith by his blood." "The true Christian idea of propitiation," says Bushnell," is not that God is placated or satisfied by the expiatory rains offered him. It supposes, first, a subjective atoning, or reconciliation in ns; and then, as a further result, that God is objectively propitiated, or set in a new relation of welcome and peace. Before he could not embrace us, even in his love. His love was the Jove of compassion; now it is the love of complacency and permitted friendship." 1 And this propitiation is for all men. "The Propitiation for our sins; ancl not for ours only, but also for the whole world." If any are not saved, it is neither because of any deficiency in the Divine purposes or provisions, nor because the propitia:ion of Christ is limited to certain persons or to a certain number only. The salvation of Jesus Christ is adequate to all men, and is offered freely to all men. If any are not rn.ved, it is because they refuse the redemptive mercy of God in Christ Jesus. -W.J. Vers. 3-5.-The true knowledge of God and its infallible proof. "And hereby we know thr.t we know him," etc. We have in our text- I. AN EXALTED SPIBITUAL A'I"I'AIKMENT. 'l'o "know him," i.e. God. This is not to be altertd and weakened into knowing certain doctrines concerning him; it i9 the knowledge of God himself. We may know, or think that we know, much about him, without knowing himself. This knowledge of God is not intellectual, but moral and spiritual. lt is not the trained and vigorous intellect that sees God, but the pure heart. "Blessed are the pure in htart: for- they shall see God." This knowledge is that inward and spiritual acquain1arice with him which arises out of our faith in ~i~ a!ld our love to him. Our Lord speaks of it as identical with eternal life. "Th111 IS hfo 1 'TLc Vicurinus Sacrifice,' part iv. eh. 2. ou. II. 1-29.] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN.