Part One of The Atonement
Having spent the last few weeks thinking about the law and the gospel, it would be very natural for us to ask a question in response: how was the gospel actually accomplished? The answer lies in the Cross of Christ, and, in theological terms, what we call the Atonement.
When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, humanity’s relationship to God was severed and an impassable barrier was formed between between them and him. While God could have left humanity in this state—under his wrath and judgement—he instead decided to save a people, free them from slavery to sin, and bring them back into fellowship with him for all eternity.
God is perfectly loving and perfectly just, and in his love, he reaches out to save a people. But, in his justice, sin must be dealt with once and for all and can not be left unpunished. Jesus stepped into the middle of these seemingly irreconcilable attributes to take all of the punishment of God’s wrath upon himself. In this way, God’s justice and love were equally on display as sin was paid for and humanity was provided with a way back into God’s presence. This is what we mean when we use the word Atonement.
But the concept of atonement doesn’t just appear when the New Testament begins. From the very beginning, God made plain to his people that atonement was the means by which he intended to save them. All the way back in Genesis 3, God clothed Adam and Eve with clothing made from the skins of an animal that died to cover them. During the Passover in Exodus 15, God’s people avoided being struck by the angel of death by smearing the blood of a sacrificed animal on their doorframes. By the time God’s people were free and he lived among them in the tabernacle in Leviticus 16, they were called to cleanse the most holy places with the blood of an animal and place their sins on the head of a goat which would wander off into the wilderness, carrying their sins far away. By the time Israel and Judah were fully-fledged kingdoms, the prophet Isaiah spoke of a servant who would suffer in the place of his people. He said this servant would be wounded for their transgressions and crushed for their iniquity.
From the very start, God, in his love, had planned to send an atoning sacrifice to satisfy his wrath and justice and save his people from slavery to sin and death. As we prepare for this upcoming Easter season, we take time to celebrate the work of Jesus in his death and resurrection to atone for our sins. Over the rest of the weeks leading into Easter, we will continue to consider the Atonement so that we all might gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for all that he has done for us and prepare our hearts to remember and celebrate Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection together.
All the best,
Luke
