In Colossians 2:12, the picture of burial reappears again. We rightly sing, “Buried, he carried my sins far away.” Glorious day! Jesus took our sin to the grave and left it there. Buried forever. Gone and never to return. This is the glory of expiation.

The small things in life often bring the most joy. One of those small things is a hot shower after playing soccer in the driving rain and freezing cold. I arrive home caked in mud, peel off my stiffening soccer kit, and watch the warm soapy water wash the dirt away. The feeling of being clean again is immensely satisfying. In a small way, this exemplifies the doctrine of expiation—God’s removal of sin.

Among evangelicals, expiation is an overlooked doctrine. This is largely due to some scholars outside evangelicalism advocating for it over against propitiation—the satisfaction of God’s wrath against sin. For some, the concept of the Son appeasing the Father’s wrath is difficult to square with a God of love. They argue the Bible doesn’t propose a doctrine of propitiation but of expiation.

But we don’t have to choose between expiation and propitiation. Both are true. Christ’s death is multifaceted. Here are three biblical images that show us the glory of expiation—the goat, the globe, and the grave.

Goat

Leviticus 16:20–22 documents the events of ancient Israel’s Day of Atonement. There’s a lot of pageantry, blood, and sacrifice, and a vivid and glorious image of expiation.

Aaron, the high priest, conducts the ceremonies. After purifying the tabernacle, he presents a live goat (v. 20). In a symbol-laden action, he places his hands on the goat’s head and confesses Israel’s sin—all their sins and transgressions are thereby placed symbolically on the goat’s head (v. 21). This goat is then driven into the wilderness and viewed as bearing the people’s sins away into a desolate place (v. 22). This is expiation: the removal of sin. It’s taken away from us. Gone.

The goat teaches us that God in his grace places our sin on another and takes it away. How glorious to think that our sin is removed from us. Yet the Bible says more.

Globe

Psalm 103 blesses Yahweh for all his benefits (v. 2). Primary among these are forgiveness and redemption (vv. 3–4). Salvation unlocks every spiritual blessing available (Eph. 1:3), and expiation is one key spiritual blessing present in Psalm 103.

In verse 11, the psalmist reaffirms God’s steadfast love; as far as you can strain your neck and focus your eyes into the sky, even higher is God’s permanent, covenant love. Then, in verse 12, David moves from the heavens to the compass. As far as the east is from the west, he says, so too is the distance between us and our sins.

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