What is atonement?
Atonement means fixing a relationship that is broken because one or both of the parties did something wrong. It can even mean paying one of the parties for something the other party did wrong, so that there can be peace again between them. If someone breaks a country’s law, for example, he needs to pay a fine or go to prison to put things right again.
Why do we need atonement?
To sin is to break God’s laws. Therefore, there can’t be peace between God and sinners, and sinners can’t go into eternal life. (Romans 8:6-8; 1 John 3:4-10.)
The good relationship between God and people was destroyed when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him. The damage was almost impossible to repair and affected all generations - including you and me. Sin had come between God and people, so they could not have the close fellowship that they had before, and that God so dearly wanted.
When we live in sin, we agree with it and let it rule over us. It becomes part of our life. If we have chosen to allow sin into our lives, we are condemned to die. (Romans 8:13.) “The payment for sin is death …” Romans 6:23 (GW). This is not only physical death, but a spiritual death where we are forever separated from God in our spirit.
It says in Romans 3:10-18 (NLT): “No one is righteous—not even one … All have turned away … No one does good, not a single one … They have no fear of God at all.” In other words, we are all guilty sinners, our relationship with God is broken, and we all deserve death. That’s how serious it is. And it doesn’t only speak about the big, visible sins, but it includes all sin, all breaking of God’s laws and will.
How do we receive atonement?
There is only one thing that will stop God’s anger against sin: death over sin. If God put every sinner to death for their sins, no people would be left on earth. But God is a merciful, patient God who loves His creation, and human beings most of all. He does not want them to be lost forever but wants to fix His relationship with them and have fellowship with them.
Atonement under the Old Covenant law
In the Old Covenant, people could bring an animal like a lamb to the temple to be sacrificed. The animal had to be young and healthy, without imperfections. The death of the animal atoned or “paid” for the people’s sins, and they were forgiven. “This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the Lord. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life.” Leviticus 17:11 (NCV).
Read Leviticus 16 and Hebrews 9:18-22 about the Day of Atonement and the atoning sacrifice in the Old Covenant.
But the blood of animals was just a symbol and could not stop people sinning. Atonement had to be made again and again (Hebrews 10:1-4). It was clear that something needed to change.
Atonement and payment for our sins through Jesus in the New Covenant
The change came through Jesus, who was the Son of God. He gave up all He had and became a human being with the same human nature as all of us, which means that He was tempted in all things as we are (Hebrews 4:15). But Jesus was also born of God’s Spirit, and this Spirit was with Him His whole life, and gave Him the will and the strength to overcome in all temptations, so He never sinned. (Matthew 1:18-22; Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8; Isaiah 61:1-3.)
But in the end, Jesus, who was the only human being in all history who was completely pure and never sinned, was crucified as a criminal. In this death, He, who was the Lamb of God without any imperfections, took upon Himself the punishment for the sins of the whole world! Jesus became the sacrifice, the payment for our sins, so that God’s great anger against sin was turned away from all of us who believe in Him. He gave us the gift of eternal life instead! (Isaiah 53:4-11; John 3:14-17; 1 John 2:2.)
Read more here: Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
A gift of grace
We cannot do anything of ourselves to deserve forgiveness and salvation (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). Forgiveness through the atonement, through the “payment” that Jesus gave, is a free gift which we must receive by faith. It is a free gift from God because of His grace, love and patience towards us. “The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (GW).
Read Romans 5 about the gift of grace that came through Jesus.
We can never fully understand the great importance of this “payment”, this gift of grace that was made for us, but to begin to understand it a little bit, we need to fully accept the truth about ourselves. The truth that we are all sinners, we have all sinned, we are all selfish by nature.
We also have to understand how seriously God sees sin. Sin has no place at all in eternity, and we would have no chance without the mercy and love of Jesus Christ, who gave His life to pay for our sins. But through His gift of grace we have been given a new chance to get eternal life! We can never thank or worship Him enough for that!
What happens after we receive atonement?
The animal sacrifices in the Old Covenant only covered the sins they had done since the “last time” a sacrifice was brought, but that didn’t remove the root of sin – the sinful lusts and desires in human nature. People were weak and sinned again and again, so the cycle of sin and forgiveness never stopped.
In the New Covenant, Jesus’ sacrifice paid for all the sins of the whole world! But how did His life and death made this possible?
Jesus got this power over sin and death because He always faithfully obeyed God’s will, always said No to His own will (to the lusts and desires in His human nature). He always said No when He was tempted, took up his cross daily, and “put to death” the root cause of sin in His own life. In Jesus, God could do what the Old Covenant law and sacrifices couldn’t do: He could condemn sin in the flesh (in the human nature) before it was done and became visible. (Romans 8:3; Hebrews 2:14.)
Why is this so important for us? Jesus Himself told us that we can follow Him and live that same life. (Luke 14:26-27.) Atonement gave us the opportunity to start anew, and by Jesus’ example and the Holy Spirit He gave us, we now have the possibility and the power to overcome just as He overcame and inherit all things with Him. (Revelation 2:7.)
