"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:3-6 ESV)
One of the false doctrines in our day teaches that being "a good person" is sufficient for salvation. Another common falsehood contends that believing in Jesus as Lord is the end of the matter for eternal life. The first comes from the culture; the second often appears in the church. Both are lies.
Paul dealt with the "good person" fallacy, especially in his letter to the Romans, saying,
"We have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks are under sin, as it is written: ' None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one '…For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10-23).
Paul continued to lay out his case against self-made goodness when he wrote that Christ Jesus redeemed us by his blood "as a propitiation…to be received by faith" (Romans 3:23-26). John used the root form of the same word in 1 John 2:2: "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
"Propitiation" in the New Testament includes three forms: the masculine root noun, ἱλασμός (hilasmos), the verb form, ἱλάσκομαι (hilaskomai), and the neuter noun ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion). Each connects to the Exodus 25 description of the Tabernacle's mercy seat, atop the Ark of the Covenant, where God promised to speak to his people. The mercy seat was made of pure gold and on each end, a hammered gold angel covered it with its wings Priests burned incense on an altar directly in front of a veil that separated the mercy seat, and once a year, the high priest made atonement using the blood from a sin offering for all the people. God told Moses, "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel" (Exodus 25:22). The ark and the mercy seat that covered it were the host holy items in the tabernacle because God met the people's representatives there. Only the high priest could enter that sacred space and make atonement for the people until Messiah came.
In his gospel, John noted that when Mary Magdalene looked into the tomb where Jesus had been laid, she saw two angels, one at each end of the slab where the body had been (John 20:12). When she turned away from them, she saw Jesus, risen and alive. When John chose ἱλασμός (hilasmos) in 1 John 2:2, he connected Mary's experience to the ancient mercy seat, creating an image that Jews would understand immediately. The image corroborated his testimony that Jesus was the place where God and man met.
The three forms of the word work together to paint of picture that Jesus is not only the propitiation, but also the propitiator. He both the act of propitiator AND the object. Understanding the connection between the mercy seat of the Tabernacle and the person of Jesus is a key theme throughout John's writing. As the oldest disciple, he had decades to analyze and understand the fullness of what Jesus did for humanity. John was an old man when he wrote in the early-to-mid 90s, and the connections between his gospel, his epistles, and his revelation center on Jesus as fully God and fully man, the place where God meets us under a new covenant. It's why the first false teaching of this age, that "being a good person" is so terrifying a prospect for those who claim it. No human ever born can intercede between humans as the Creator. It's also why the second false teaching, that "asking Jesus into your heart" as the end of salvation cannot stand under scrutiny. John, with Peter and James, insisted that obedience to God's commands provides evidence of salvation (1 Peter 1:3-11; James 1:19-27). Paul, too, wrote about continuing the work of God's will as necessary to our testimony of being saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:1-10).
The role of works in the Christian life is a touchy subject. The false teaching that good deeds lead to salvation is one thing, but the teaching that we work off our debts after salvation is also a lie. John simplified the argument when he wrote, "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3 ESV). What we do cannot save us. Only the mercy and grace of God in Christ saves us. However, what we do provides evidence of God's mercy and grace on us. John taught this idea four ways in four verses:
"We know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments" ( v. 3)
"Whoever says 'I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar" (v. 4)
"Whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected" (v. 5)
"By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (v. 6).
Clearly the churches in Ephesus struggled with the concepts of grace through faith and salvation by works, just a we often do. John illustrated the purpose of our work in his letter: be like Jesus because he was the complete and perfect savior.
So, what are the commandments we are to keep? Come back next week to explore the commandments John means.
Resources
The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org/.
Propitiation - International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia
1 John | Commentary | Ray Van Neste | TGCBC
Nichols, Stephen. "What Is the Mercy Seat?" Ligonier Ministries, 28 Mar. 2018, www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/mercy-seat-connecting-dots.
Stott, John R.W. The Letters of John. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, vol. 19, InterVarsity Press, 1964, 1988.