Good verse.
IMHO, I would probably try to communicate with those who fail to understand propitiation and atonement by going back over the elements of the Tabernacle and the protocol by which man was able to have fellowship with God.
The Cross was focused upon Judgment.
The Arc of the Covenant had the Mercy Seat upon it. The Mercy Seat had two Cherubim facing one another, representing God’s Perfect Holiness.
His Holiness is comprised of His Perfect Righteousness and His Perfect Justice. One Cherub represented His Perfect Justice. The other represented His Perfect Righteousness.
They would keep each other in check.
Whenever something was placed on the Mercy Seat, which was unrighteous, His Perfect Righteousness demanded Perfect Justice, hence a Perfect Judgment of that before them. In turn, His Perfect Justice demanded a Righteousness Judgment of that laid before them, by Perfect Righteousness.
God’s Integrity demands Judgment of those in His presence and their righteousness.
Without the judgment, there is no integrity in His Holiness.
Our sins have been judged when they were imputed to Jesus Christ and He was judged. Through faith in Christ in what He provided on the Cross in that judgment, we are able to confess our sins, and now God is able to Justly and Righteously forgive us of those sins.
Forgiveness comes after the Cross, but only possible for all mankind by a Holy God at the Perfect Judgment on the Cross. His blood propitiated the wrath of God on the sins of mankind.
Cvengr, I am in full agreement as to how you describe God’s righteousness.
Do you believe Jesus’ blood was placed on the Mercy Seat?
If so, was it the blood of the sinless Man Jesus or the sinless God Jesus?
May God our Father lead us to His truth, BVB