Propitiation is what God set forth Christ Jesus to be, through faith in His blood, so that God can declare His righteousness for the remission of sins.
Les Feldick teaches that propitiation is the complete work of Christ pictured in the tabernacle, accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection. Christ becomes the propitiation only through faith in His blood, and this enables God to declare His righteousness.
Romans 3:25 — This verse directly defines propitiation as what God set forth Christ Jesus to be through faith in His blood.
Romans 3:24-26 states that believers are justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Verse 25 then says, 'Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.' Verse 26 continues, 'To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.' In the broader context of Scripture, the Bible emphasizes two absolute necessities: without the shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22), and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Romans 3:25 brings both together by linking propitiation to faith in Christ's blood.
Les Feldick teaches that propitiation is the most inclusive one-word description of Christ's work in the New Testament. He says it is a big word that people often stumble over, but it simply points to everything pictured in the tabernacle—the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant, the veils, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the brazen laver, and the brazen altar—all of which are pictures of Christ in His work of redemption. Les emphasizes that Christ becomes the propitiation through faith in His blood—not His life or His exemplary miracles. He connects this to two mandatory statements of Scripture: 'without the shedding of blood there is no remission' and 'without faith it is impossible to please God.' You cannot shortcut or detour either one. He also points to 1 John 2:2 as the only other place the word is used, showing Christ as our advocate and propitiation.
Les Feldick teaches that Christ becomes our propitiation through faith in His blood. He says it is not by His life or His three years of exemplary miracle working, but specifically by His shed blood. God set forth Christ Jesus to be a propitiation, and He becomes that to us personally when we believe in His blood.
Les teaches that everything in the tabernacle—the building materials, the furniture, the Ark of the Covenant, the candlestick, the altar of incense, the table of showbread, the cleansing laver, the brazen altar, and the sacrificial lamb—is a picture of Christ in His work of redemption. For Les, propitiation is that complete, overall work that Christ accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection.
Les notes that propitiation is used only one more time besides Romans 3:25, and that is in 1 John 2:2. He explains that the Greek word is 'halasterion' and that in 1 John 2:2, Christ is our advocate and also our propitiation.
Les explains that when Christ becomes the propitiation through faith in His blood, God can declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through His forbearance. In Romans 3:26, God declares His righteousness so that Christ might be just and the justifier of the one who believes in Jesus. Les says 'just' means, in plain English, 'fair.'
What Is Propitiation? Romans 3:25-31 Finally Explained
And that's what we try to project. We want to have the classroom setting. I've always said I'm not a preacher, I'm a teacher. There is a big difference. Once in a while, I may get close, but I try not to. I want to just remain teaching, and I want to keep it on a rather low level.
Propitiation Defined Through Faith in Blood
Les explains that propitiation is the most inclusive one-word description of New Testament truth, and that Christ becomes the propitiation through faith in His blood, not His life or miracles.
Redemption and the Two Mandatory Statements
Les connects propitiation to redemption and the two mandatory statements: without shedding of blood there is no remission, and without faith it is impossible to please God.
Propitiation in Romans 3:24-25
Les reads Romans 3:25 in context, showing that God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood, and defers fuller definition to the tabernacle passage.
Everything in the Tabernacle Points to Christ
Les defines propitiation as the complete work of Christ depicted in every tabernacle furnishing—Ark, candlestick, altar, laver, and so on—accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection.
The Only Other Use: 1 John 2:2
Les notes that propitiation appears in only one other place, 1 John 2:2, where Christ is our advocate and our propitiation, coming from the Greek word 'halasterion.'
Propitiation in 1 John 2:2
Les reviews that Christ is not only our advocate but also our propitiation, recalling the tabernacle imagery as the explanation of the word.
God Declares His Righteousness
Les explains that faith in Christ's blood allows God to declare His righteousness for remission of past sins, and that Christ is just, meaning fair, as the justifier of the believer.
Romans 3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
This is the key verse directly naming propitiation and its connection to faith in Christ's blood.
Romans 3:26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Shows the purpose of propitiation: God declares His righteousness and justifies the believer in Jesus.
1 John 2:2: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The only other New Testament use of propitiation, referring to Christ as our advocate and propitiation.
Hebrews 9:22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
One of the two mandatory statements Les cites: no remission without shedding of blood.
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The other mandatory statement Les cites: without faith it is impossible to please God.
Les Feldick defines propitiation as everything pictured in the tabernacle—all the furniture and sacrifices—as a complete picture of Christ in His work of redemption. It is the total work Christ accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection.
According to Les, Christ becomes the propitiation through faith in His blood. It is not by His life or miracles, but by believing in His shed blood that a person is redeemed and God can declare His righteousness.
Les states that Romans 3:25 and 1 John 2:2 are the only two places the word is used. In 1 John 2:2, Christ is our advocate and the propitiation for our sins.
Watch the Teaching: What Is Propitiation? Romans 3:25-31 Finally Explained