It is of considerable significance that John, the writer who spoke
so warmly about the love of God, could also speak about
propitiation. Propitiation, as we have seen, is intimately
connected with the wrath of God, yet it is the apostle who is so
associated with love who is the one to use the actual word,
„propitiation‟, most – twice – and do so in a single, short letter
(1 John 2:2; 4:10).
And that is not all. John was not squeamish; he did not avoid the
sterner note in his first letter. In a passage (1 John 4:16-21)
dealing with love – God‟s love for his elect, and the consequent
love of the believer for his fellow-believers (John used the word
fourteen times in those six verses!), he did not avoid talking
about „the day of judgment‟ (1 John 4:17) and „punishment‟ (1
John 4:18). True, as John argued, the believer has no need to
fear God‟s punishment in the day of judgment. Why not?
Because of love – God‟s love to him, primarily, and as a
consequence, the believer‟s love both Godward and believerward
in response. The believer has no need to fear God‟s wrath.
As John had just explained:
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God
sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through
him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he
loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1
John 4:9-10). |
