Expiation
Study
Study the following passages and notice where they address the issue of expiation and what they say about how Christ removed our sin and guilt:
Read
When Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, not only did He satisfy God’s wrath against our sin, He also completely removed the sin that separated us from God. This is what “expiation” means: the complete removal of sin and the guilt of our sin. Before Christ, we were those who were characterized by sin; in fact, the only thing we could do was sin. We were not those who simply sinned periodically; we were sinners by nature. This sin brought a profound sense of guilt and the weight of our guilty conscience became an increasingly heavy burden.
But now, in Christ, all of that sin and guilt has been removed. It was not just covered like it was in the Old Testament through the sacrifice of an animal. Instead, because of Christ’s perfect and sufficient sacrifice, all of our sin and guilt has been totally removed. This does not mean that we become sinless since a portion of our unredeemed humanness remains until we are glorified. But it does mean that our present (and even future) sins are removed and the certificate of debt that was once against us has been canceled out and taken out of the way, having been nailed to the cross. No further sacrifice is necessary…Christ’s death has completely removed our sin and guilt. As Charles Spurgeon says, we are now able to cry, “Great God, I am clean; through Jesus’ blood I am clean.”
Consider
Consider the following questions:
- Meditate on Colossians 2:13-14. How does this text encourage your heart specifically today?
- How does the doctrine of expiation help you when you sin against the Lord or another person?
- What effect should having all your sins forgiven and removed have upon your heart today?
- How does this realization help you keep a proper perspective in the midst of the trials and difficulties of life?
Pray
Direct your praise to the Lord for Christ’s work in removing your sin and ask Him to help you trust Him for this truth the next time you do sin.