Atonement means to "cover" and to reconcile two opposing parties with an offering or gift that is sacrificial in nature.
Christ's atonement literally is by His shed blood, covers our sin so that God does not see it nor is affected by it, so He can forgive, give us grace, and bring us into the kingdom. In the OT, "cover" meant to reconcile two opposing parties with an offering or gift that was sacrificial in nature. For us, we are reconciled to God through Christ, who made amends to "cover us" and please God's wrath on our behalf. Everyone has sinned and everyone needs atonement Thus, our redemption is through Christ's blood and suffering which was the sacrifice to bind us, in good relationship, with our Creator and Lord. We model this by seeking to reconcile with others!
Thus, our redemption is through Christ's blood and suffering which was our sacrifice to bind us in good relation back to our Creator and Lord.
Principle passages: Lev. 17:11; Job 15:14-16; Psalm 5:4-6; 32:1; 85:2; Isa. 53:4-6; 64:6; Jer. 44:4; Hab. 1:13; Matt. 27:37; Luke 22:37; John 2:2; 4:10; Rom.10: 2-3; Gal. 3:13; 4:4; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14-22; 2:14; Heb. 2:17; 9:11-15; Rev. 1:5.
© 1992, 2001, Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership, www.churchleadership.org/
