What Greek word is the word "propitiation" derived from?
The word "propitiation" is derived from the Greek word halasterion. This term is given as the source of the English word, and it appears in 1 John 2, where Christ is called the propitiation for the sins of believers and the whole world.
Les explains that propitiation can seem like a big word that ends up as gobbledygook in commentaries, so he makes it simple. He notes the word is used only one more time, in 1 John chapter 2, and that it comes from the Greek word halasterion. In 1 John 2:1-2, Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father, the righteous one, and He is the propitiation for our sins as believers, but not for ours only—also for the whole world. Les connects this to Romans, where righteousness is mentioned, and uses it to say he is not a dyed-in-the-wool Calvinist, because redemption is for everyone, not only those who would believe.