The necessity of the atonement

The word “propitiation” is believed to come from a Latin word “prop” meaning “near”.  A sacrifice of propitiation brings man near to God reconciles him to God by atoning for his transgression and winning Divine favor and grace.  To propitiate is to appease the righteous wrath of a Holy God by the offering of an atoning sacrifice.  

Christ is described as a propitiation (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Sin keeps man at a distance from God; but Christ has so dealt with sin on man’s behalf that man may now “draw nigh” to God “in His name”.

The word “propitiation” in Romans 3:25 is the same word in the Greek used to translate the word “mercy seat”.  In both Hebrew and Greek the word conveys the thought of an atoning sacrifice.

The consistent Bible view is that the sin of man incurred the wrath of God. That wrath is averted only by Christ’s atoning offering From this standpoint his saving work is properly called propitiation.

All sin must be judged and it is here that the sins of all mankind have been judged, Christ paid the full penalty for the sins of every man.  If our sins are not judged here they will be judged at the White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).