Every morning, I start my day with Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day, and today's verse, 1 John 4:10, is no exception. Since today's verse refers back to the previous one, I decided to step back and explore the surrounding verses. After gaining context for verse 10, I compared 1 John 4:8-10 in the NIV translation with others. But, let's read the passage together from the NIV: |
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From the New International Version: 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. |
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But what do 'atone' or 'propitiation' really mean? |
When I compared the NIV with the NASB translation, "atoning sacrifice" was also referred to as "the propitiation." What's the difference? Thankfully, with Bible Gateway Plus, I have tools that make digging into these words easy and rewarding. First, with the NIV translation open, I simply turn on the "Reverse Interlinear" in the Page Options. By doing so, we can see that the Greek word was "hilasmos." From there, we can click the word for a definition, but I like to explore the additional dictionaries available with my membership. |
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God really does have the whole world in his hands! |
Turning to the classic Vines Complete Expository Dictionary, we have a detailed article on Propitiation that describes hilasmos as, "an expiation, a means whereby sin is covered and remitted." It goes on to explain, "that provision is made for the whole world, so that no one is, by divine predetermination, excluded from the scope of God's mercy; the efficacy of the "propitiation," however, is made actual for those who believe. In 4:10, the fact that God "sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins," is shown to be the great expression of God's love toward man, and the reason why Christians should love one another." |
This word study might sound intimidating, but it only took me about 10 minutes—and it was so reassuring! With Bible Gateway Plus, you can unlock so much more—over $3,100 worth of study resources and an ad-free experience to keep you finding reassurances like these in God's Word. Blessings, Jody from Bible Gateway |
Ready to dive deeper into God's Word? Discover how Bible Gateway Plus can enrich your study with powerful tools and resources. |
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