Rom 3:23, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 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;
Rom 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.
1. What is a propitiation? The word propitiation is only in your King James Bible three times. We have seen it in Rom 3:25 but it is also used two other times. 1Jn 2:2, And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 1Jn 4:10, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
2. We have learned a few of things here. Whatever a propitiation is, God had to have faith in the blood of Jesus Christ to have ever made him one. When he made him a propitiation it was not just for the sins of God’s people in the church, but it was for the sins of every single person. It is the expression of God’s love.
3. Our modern definition is different. According to Vocabulary.com: "Propitiation is an action meant to regain someone's favor or make up for something you did wrong. You might offer your mom a plate of chocolate chip cookies in propitiation for killing all her houseplants while she was away."
4. Clearly the definition of propitiation in the King James Bible is different. God did not make Jesus into an action; he made him into a something. (Hint) If you attempt to type the words A Propitiation on a word processor, the word processor will reject the reading and change A propitiation into propitiation.
5. By making Jesus Christ into a propitiation, God made Jesus into the place where all sins must be brought. He is the mercy seat. God did this because he had faith in the blood of Jesus Christ and believed that any person could bring their sins to that mercy seat.