The words Atonement or Propitiation means “to cover.” It literally means to appease God’s wrath. God is angry against sin and the sinner. But since God’s love is also in operation he made a provision through which animal sacrifices would cover the sin from his eyes. Ultimately, Jesus through his blood sacrifice turned away God’s wrath against us. We can get this benefit by faith in his blood.
The cherubim which drove away man from the Garden of Eden are seen looking towards the atonement cover or the mercy seat in the ark of the covenant. There the blood of slain animals was sprinkled once in a year inside the holy of holies. So the cherubim were represented as looking at the blood. Inside that ark was kept the stone tablets of the Law. Hope you got the picture of how the blood covered over sin that the Law pointed out!
Now Paul says, “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood (Romans 3:25).” This is a very important verse which specifically mentions the object of faith which saves. That is faith in the blood of Jesus is what saves. Many non-believers accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, a divine healer, a worker of miracles, and a powerful prophet. That is all true. But that kind of faith is not enough to save. What saves you from eternal hell is your faith in his blood!
So if you trust in the blood of Jesus, God’s anger against you is turned away from you because of Jesus’s blood. See, God is no longer angry at you. Your trust in the blood of Jesus has made this possible. Aren’t you glad that God is not angry with you?
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