Atonement

"Propitiation is the term that non-Orthodox Christians tend to use with regard to sacrifice. It's emphasis is upon the sacrificial as somehow impacting God, in order to appease his anger or to change his will; and to change it from one of vengeance to one of love. In contrast, the Orthodox tend to use the word "expiation" with regard to what is accomplished in the sacrificial act. Expiation is an act of offering that seeks to change the one making the offering. The Greek word that is translated both into propitiation and expiation is "hilasmos" which means "to make acceptable and enable one to draw close to God". So the Orthodox emphasis is 1 Cor 15:3. We understand that Christ died for us in order to heal us; in order to change us to become more like God. He died for us, not instead of us. Not to appease an angry and vindictive Father, or to change God. So the ultimate purpose of Christ's death is to change us, and it's expiatory, not to avert the wrath of God, which is propitiatory. And this is the Biblical understanding, and it is the Jewish understanding too. The Catholics and Protestants took a concept of sacrifice. And took it into a direction which is not orthodox Christianity." - Fr. James Bernstein, The Illumined Heart Podcast, May 22, 2008

"This is not a "ransom" paid to the Father; the Father wasn’t holding us captive. It is an offering, but not a payment. Look at it this way. Christ suffered to save us from our sins in the same way a fireman suffers burns and wounds to save a child from a burning home. He may dedicate this courageous act as an offering to the fire chief he loves and admires. He may do it to redeem the child from the malice of the arsonist who started the fire. But his suffering isn’t paid to anyone, in the sense of making a bargain. Likewise, God redeemed His people from the hand of Pharaoh when He rescued them in the Red Sea. But He didn’t pay Pharaoh anything. He Himself was not paid anything. It was a rescue action, not a business transaction, and our redemption by Christ is the same." - Frederica Matthewes-Greene, "First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew"