The doctrine of expiation - God's removal of sin - is powerfully illustrated through three biblical images: the goat, the globe, and the grave.

The Goat (Leviticus 16:20-22) demonstrates how sin is transferred and removed. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would symbolically place Israel's sins on a goat's head before sending it into the wilderness, showing how God takes our sin away completely.

The Globe (Psalm 103) reveals the vast distance God puts between us and our sins. As far as east is from west - an infinite separation - that's how far God removes our transgressions from us. In modern terms, imagine 259 trillion miles, the distance to Upsilon Andromedae b.

The Grave emphasizes the permanence of sin's removal. Micah 7:19 describes God casting sins into "the depths of the sea." All four Gospels emphasize Jesus's burial, showing how He took our sins to the grave and left them there permanently.

This three-fold removal of sin demonstrates expiation's completeness:

• Transferred away (the goat)
• Distanced infinitely (the globe)
• Buried permanently (the grave)

Expiation works alongside propitiation - they're complementary aspects of Christ's sacrifice. While propitiation satisfies God's wrath against sin, expiation removes that sin entirely. As Donald Macleod notes, "God can be propitiated only if sin is expiated; and sin is expiated only in order that God may be propitiated."

Through Christ's sacrifice, believers are completely cleansed. No sin can cling to those Jesus has washed, whether committed by us or against us. The cleansing is total and permanent - a glorious truth central to our salvation.

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