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1 John 2:2 – Propitiation
“Though the general thought here is quite plain, the specific meaning of the word translated expiation (Greek hilasmos) is disputed. The word occurs again in 4:10 of Christ, whom God sent to be the expiation for our sins. The older versions generally have `propitiation,’ a word which means an appeasement, some gift or deed which turns aside wrath and makes the one who has been displeased have pleasure in another. In Greek literature the word is usually associated with cultic practices of rites and sacrifices to placate or pacify the gods who were thought of as being capriciously angry with or ill-disposed toward man. While `propitiate’ looks to the one offended, `expiate’ refers to the offense of the one being in disfavor. The Greek word comes from hilaskesthai, which means `to cause one to be gracious.’ In the Septuagint the verb is often used with the meaning `be merciful’ or `be gracious’ (Ex.32:14) ….
“John is obviously following the OT. Hilasmos does not imply the propitiation of God. It refers to the purpose which God Himself has fulfilled by sending the Son. Hence it rests on the fact that God is gracious, i.e., on His love, cf. 4:10. The meaning, then, is the setting aside of sin as guilt against God. This is shown by the combination of hilasmos in 2:2 with parakletos in 2:1 and with the confession of sin in 1:8,10. The subjective result of hilasmos in man is parresia, confidence before the divine judgment, 4:17; 2:28, or victory over the consciousness of sin.” (Buechsel, The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, v.3, p.317)
“Expiation, then, seems to be the better translation here. (J.W. Roberts, The Letters of John, pp.37-38)
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