Introduction
The pagan religions of old believed that they must pacify or appease their gods through sacrifice because of their unpredictable nature. This practice is known as propitiation, the appeasement or satisfaction of someone or something.
Many see the similarities between the faith of the pagans and that of the Christian in that they both try to appease their god (our God) by offering various gifts and sacrifices.
What sets the Christian faith apart?
What sets the Christian faith apart, is that there is no sacrifice or method of appeasement that any man could bring that would pay for the eternal punishment demanded by God to reconcile even but one man to Himself.1 Once sin had entered the world through Adam and Eve, there was no way to fix what had been done except through an infinite and eternal sacrifice.2
For this reason, God was the only one who could reconcile man to Himself. Therefore, he sent Jesus, His one and only Son,3 fully man and fully God,4 born of a virgin,5 to become the perfect propitiation for our sins.6 All of God's just and righteous wrath was poured out on Jesus at the cross therefore creating a way for all those who call on Him to be reconciled with God.7
Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied
By drinking the cup of wrath,8 Jesus took the wrath of God onto Himself. The propitiation of Jesus, His taking on the satisfaction of God's wrath in our stead is the fundamental Gospel message.
Pagan unpredictability, willingness and cost.
Paganism is also differentiated in that the pagan gods are unpredictable. On the other hand, God revealed the law to us, and made His hatred of sin clear.9 In paganism, humans must be the arbitrators of the sacrifice, at their own cost, to appease the gods. Our God was the sacrifice incurring no cost to us.10 Pagan sacrifices, be that animal or human, are unwilling, or ignorant of their sacrifice. Jesus came to earth willingly, fully aware of the pain and cost to come. He laid his life down willingly in agreement with the Father’s good will.11
God abhors human sacrifice12 and has only accepted one human sacrifice in all of history, that being Jesus, because he was fully worthy, and fully willing to lay down his life for ours so that we would could have communion with the Father.