--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real question is: What is expiation?…" description: "\"“The real question is: What is expiation? Is it compatible with a pure image of God? Is it not a phase in man’s religious development that we need to m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg" --- # The real question is: What is expiation? Is it compatible… ![“The real question is: What is expiation? Is it compatible with a pure image of God? Is it not a phase in man’s religious development that we need to move beyond? If Jesus is to be the new messenger of God, should he not be opposing this notion? So the actual point at issue is whether the New…” quote by Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg) > ““The real question is: What is expiation? Is it compatible with a pure image of God? Is it not a phase in man’s religious development that we need to move beyond? If Jesus is to be the new messenger of God, should he not be opposing this notion? So the actual point at issue is whether the New Testament texts—if read rightly—articulate an understanding of expiation that we too can accept, whether we are prepared to listen to the whole of the message that it offers us.”” [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions whether the concept of expiation fits with a pure image of God and suggests moving beyond it if necessary, urging a fresh reading of New Testament teachings. **In simple terms:** It asks if atonement fits a perfect God and suggests rethinking it. Key Takeaway Re‑evaluate traditional doctrines in light of modern understanding. Themes theology religious development scriptural interpretation Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal faith study - theological debate - church teaching - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts expiation God image New Testament religious evolution Questions to Reflect On - How does your view of atonement affect your faith? - Can doctrine evolve without losing core truth? A Different Perspective Traditional views may limit spiritual growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expiation-356988/) [Expiation Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expiation-accept-5521905/) [Expiation Compatible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expiation-compatible-5521906/) [New testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-testament/) [Question Expiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-expiation-5521907/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Understanding Expiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-expiation-5521904/) ## Related quotes > [We must have done something very wicked before we were born, or else we must be going to be very happy indeed when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas-fils/we-must-have-done-something-very-wicked-before-we-were-born-or-else/) [Alexandre Dumas-fils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas-fils/) > [“A sense of guilt, as well as the need for expiation, a baptism of fire, aren't things you can claim an exclusive right to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-sapkowski/a-sense-of-guilt-as-well-as-the-need-for-expiation-a-baptism-of-fire/) [Andrzej Sapkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-sapkowski/) > [How can justice be attained when, in the expiation of an old wrong, another wrong is to be committed? No reasonable creature would conceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/how-can-justice-be-attained-when-in-the-expiation-of-an-old-wrong/) [Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/) > [“expiation: A sacrifice that wipes away sin. • The expression is used multiple times in the Greek OT for the mercy seat, or golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/expiation-a-sacrifice-that-wipes-away-sin-the-expression-is-used/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [Unhappily, no man exists who has not in his own person become, to some amount, a stockholder in the sin, and so made himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/unhappily-no-man-exists-who-has-not-in-his-own-person-become-to-some/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [That's what troubles me: I should like to suffer more for the expiation of my sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-xiv/that-s-what-troubles-me-i-should-like-to-suffer-more-for-the/) [Louis XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-xiv/) > [“She felt really quite unequal to the tedious process of reconciliation which, in view of the fact that she was sorry, seemed to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/she-felt-really-quite-unequal-to-the-tedious-process-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-see-a-beautiful-city-and-a-brilliant-people-rising-from-this-abyss-3/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Hereafter we all have to be redeemed. The world is pulling with a thousand strings. We sin because of indifference and negligence and heap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/hereafter-we-all-have-to-be-redeemed-the-world-is-pulling-with-a/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [“Jean Valjean understood thoroughly the expiation of the former; that personal expiation, the expiation for one’s self. But he did not understand that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/jean-valjean-understood-thoroughly-the-expiation-of-the-former-that/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“The essence of sainthood is expiation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/the-essence-of-sainthood-is-expiation/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [The concept of 'purgatory' is in Catholic Church dogma, and most black people are not Catholic - mostly their Christian realities focus on heaven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-lennix/the-concept-of-purgatory-is-in-catholic-church-dogma-and-most-black/) [Harry Lennix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-lennix/) > [“That is why the second coming of the Lord is not only salvation, not only the omega that sets everything right, but also judgment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/that-is-why-the-second-coming-of-the-lord-is-not-only-salvation-not/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“days of the earliest Church? I ask you: Do you want things to go on as usual, or do you want to see God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-kendall/days-of-the-earliest-church-i-ask-you-do-you-want-things-to-go-on-as/) [R. T. Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) ## More by Pope Benedict XVI > [The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-fact-that-the-lord-can-work-and-act-even-with-insufficient-means/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-you-abide-in-the-love-of-christ-rooted-in-the-faith-you-will/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Continue to witness to the Gospel every day and commit yourselves generously in the next missionary initiatives in the Diocese of Rome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/continue-to-witness-to-the-gospel-every-day-and-commit-yourselves/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Jesus’ example of fidelity to prayer challenges us to examine the time and effort we devote to our own prayer. While prayer is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/jesus-example-of-fidelity-to-prayer-challenges-us-to-examine-the-time/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [If we look to the saints, this great luminous wake with which God has passed through history, we truly see that here is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-we-look-to-the-saints-this-great-luminous-wake-with-which-god-has/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“Joseph Ratzinger never developed his own theological system. As a theologian he took on what was there, discerned its essentials, situated it in relation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/joseph-ratzinger-never-developed-his-own-theological-system-as-a/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Jesus Christ does not teach us a spirituality “of closed eyes”, but one of “alertness”, one which entails an absolute duty to take notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/jesus-christ-does-not-teach-us-a-spirituality-of-closed-eyes-but-one/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Joy is the true gift of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/joy-is-the-true-gift-of-christmas/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Material possessions, in themselves, are good. We would not survive for long without money, clothing and shelter. We must eat in order to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/material-possessions-in-themselves-are-good-we-would-not-survive-for/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [One of the promising indications of a renewal in the Church's missionary consciousness in recent decades, has been the growing desire of many lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/one-of-the-promising-indications-of-a-renewal-in-the-church-s/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [God loves us despite our shortcomings and sins, and his love gives meaning to our lives and to the life of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/god-loves-us-despite-our-shortcomings-and-sins-and-his-love-gives/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [It's a great responsibility before God, the judge who guides us, who draws us to truth and good, and in this sense the church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/it-s-a-great-responsibility-before-god-the-judge-who-guides-us-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Discovering the beauty and joy of faith is a path that every new generation must take on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/discovering-the-beauty-and-joy-of-faith-is-a-path-that-every-new/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programmes and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and "efficient", but is the result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/apostolic-and-missionary-fruitfulness-is-not-principally-due-to/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) [Explore all 575 Pope Benedict XVI quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) ## More New testament quotes > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“days of the earliest Church? I ask you: Do you want things to go on as usual, or do you want to see God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-kendall/days-of-the-earliest-church-i-ask-you-do-you-want-things-to-go-on-as/) [R. T. Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall/) > [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [“‎A careful reading of the Old and New Testaments shows that idolatry is nothing like the crude picture that springs to mind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-keyes/a-careful-reading-of-the-old-and-new-testaments-shows-that-idolatry/) [Richard Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-keyes/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Someone gave me a New Testament. I had never before read it systematically. Some parts made sense, some parts shocked me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-blue/someone-gave-me-a-new-testament-i-had-never-before-read-it/) [Lionel Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-blue/) > [“The church has a reputation for being antipleasure. Many characterize Christians in general the way H. L. Mencken wryly described Puritans: people with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tish-harrison-warren/the-church-has-a-reputation-for-being-antipleasure-many-characterize/) [Tish Harrison Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tish-harrison-warren/) > [Who wrote the Bible? Current scholarship, to my knowledge, assumes that the material that constitutes the Old Testament was put together from various oral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/who-wrote-the-bible-current-scholarship-to-my-knowledge-assumes-that/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I'm a New Testament Christian. I reject and throw out titles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/i-m-a-new-testament-christian-i-reject-and-throw-out-titles/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [“Consider these questions: Did Jesus ever suggest by word of example that we should aspire to acquire, let alone take over, the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/consider-these-questions-did-jesus-ever-suggest-by-word-of-example/) [Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/) > [“The New Testament uses five main Greek words for sin, which together portray its various aspects, both passive and active. The commonest is hamartia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-w-stott/the-new-testament-uses-five-main-greek-words-for-sin-which-together/) [John R.W. Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-w-stott/) > [In the New Testament alone there are Gospels, acts, epistles, and an apocalypse. Gospels contain literary forms like miracles, parables, pronouncements, proverbs, farewell discourses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-blomberg/in-the-new-testament-alone-there-are-gospels-acts-epistles-and-an/) [Craig Blomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-blomberg/) > [“Which God is the forgiving one, exactly? Old Testament, where He got His rocks off by smiting? Or New Testament, once Our Heavenly Father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/which-god-is-the-forgiving-one-exactly-old-testament-where-he-got-his/) [Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/) > [“the New Testament offers more instruction regarding elders than on other important church subjects such as the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day, baptism, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-strauch/the-new-testament-offers-more-instruction-regarding-elders-than-on/) [Alexander Strauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-strauch/) [Browse all 809 New testament quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-testament/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The real question is: What is expiation? Is it compatible with a pure image of God? Is it not a phase in man’s religious development that we need to move beyond? If Jesus is to be the new messenger of God, should he not be opposing this notion? So the actual point at issue is whether the New Testament texts—if read rightly—articulate an understanding of expiation that we too can accept, whether we are prepared to listen to the whole of the message that it offers us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pope Benedict XVI" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-is-it-compatible-with-a-pure/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "New testament" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-is-it-compatible-with-a-pure/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/pope-benedict-xvi-414_new-testament_the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-i_3128285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The real question is: What is expiation? Is it compatible with a pure image of God? Is it not a phase in…” — Pope Benedict XVI", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pope Benedict XVI", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The real question is: What is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-is-it-compatible-with-a-pure/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-real-question-is-what-is-expiation-is-it-compatible-with-a-pure/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```