their works, humbly confess their sins, and trust in his shed blood are justified before God’s holy throne. Still, many people, including professing Christians, recoil at the idea of propitiation, considering it morally objectionable. Some bemoan, “What does it say about God, if he requires a sacrifice before he is willing to forgive? Isn’t this contrary to the Bible’s teaching that we must forgive freely, without payment?” The apostle John answers in what is the last reference to propitiation in