1 John 2:2
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (NKJV)
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (NIV)
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (KJV)
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins, a nd not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
1 John 2:2 (NLT)
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (ESV)
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (NASB)Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature, o ur worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all] the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (AMP)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (AMPC)Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
But if anybody does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. He took on himself the sacrifice for our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2 (MSG)Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
New Covenant Meaning
Hilasmos: The Satisfaction That Addresses God's Righteous Response to Sin
The Greek hilasmos describes a sacrifice that satisfies the just response of a holy God to sin, turning away the consequence that sin deserves. This is not a bribe or a manipulation of an angry deity. It is the provision by God Himself of what His own holiness required. The remarkable thing is that God both demanded the satisfaction and provided it through Christ. He is both the one who required the propitiation and the one who supplied it. The propitiation of 1 John 2:2 is simultaneously a declaration of God's righteousness (He did not overlook sin) and of His love (He paid what His own righteousness required).
"Not for Ours Only": The Universal Scope of the Atonement
John specifies that Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, not only for the sins of the believing community John is writing to. This does not mean everyone is automatically saved. It means the work of Christ is sufficient for and offered to all of humanity. The provision is universal; the reception requires faith. This statement closes the door on any idea that Christ only died for a select group. He is the propitiation for the whole world. Every human being who has ever lived has a ground on which to approach God, not because they deserve it but because Christ is the propitiation for their sins too.
John uses hilasmos in 1 John 2:2 and again in 4:10. The related word hilasterion appears in Romans 3:25 for Christ as the mercy seat. The background is the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), when the high priest would sprinkle blood on the mercy seat (hilasterion in the Septuagint) to make propitiation for Israel's sins. Christ is both the high priest and the mercy seat and the sacrifice. He is the one who offers, the place where the offering is received, and the offering itself. The New Covenant fulfills and surpasses the Day of Atonement: once for all rather than once a year, for the whole world rather than for Israel alone.
Application for Your Life
You Have an Advocate and a Propitiation
The verse follows from 1 John 2:1: "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." John gives believers two things when they sin: an Advocate who pleads their case (Jesus as their representative before the Father) and a Propitiation that has already addressed the substance of the case (the atoning sacrifice that satisfied God's righteous requirements). You are not left to defend yourself or to manage the consequences of sin alone. You have representation and you have a completed payment.
The Whole World Provision Grounds Your Mission
Because Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, you can approach any person with the confidence that what Christ has done is sufficient for them. No one you encounter is excluded from the scope of His work. The provision covers everyone. The invitation can be extended to everyone. "Not for ours only but for the whole world" is the theological foundation for mission: the payment has been made for all. The invitation is for all. No one is too far gone, too sinful, or too outside the community for the propitiation of Christ to be offered to them.
Prayer Based on This Verse
Father, I thank You that Jesus Christ is my propitiation. He has satisfied what Your holiness required. The righteous response to sin has been fully addressed by His sacrifice, and not for my sins alone but for the sins of the whole world. When I sin, I have an Advocate and a Propitiation. I do not face You alone. I approach You through the One whose sacrifice has already spoken. Let me live from this security rather than from the anxiety of an unsettled account. And let me carry the knowledge of His universal propitiation into every relationship and every conversation: the offer is for all. In Jesus' name. Amen.