What Is Atonement?

Would you rather listen than reading? Listen here.

Christianese

I led a Bible Study many years ago, and in the group was an outspoken new believer. She had lived a grand life traveling around the world with her husband, who was an ambassador to the United States.

She idolized her husband. When he passed away, she moved home close to her sister, who brought her to our church. She heard about Jesus and wanted to give her life to Him, but knew that by doing so, she would not spend eternity with her beloved husband. She struggled with this for a while and then one day she chose Jesus.

This beautiful woman started attending my Bible study and I will never forget saying, “Turn to John 14:6.” She belted out, “Stop! Can someone please show me how to use this book?” Her courage to speak out and ask was eye-opening because I realized most people would not. I needed to pay attention to the things I assumed people would already know.

This word we are looking at today is one of the most beautiful of all the words (as I call them, “Christianese”) we talk about, but most people don’t understand. We even start using these words without knowing their true meanings just to fit in.

At One With Christ

To completely simplify this word, I break it down to “At-One-ment.” To be at one with Christ. That can still be a little over our heads, so let’s dig a little deeper. To truly understand what Jesus did for us, we have to understand sin. I love how Martyn Lloyd-Jones defines it.

“It’s a failure to not recognize the greatness of salvation.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Anything that stands in our way of seeing the beauty of what Jesus has done for us on the cross is sin. Things that take our focus from Jesus are sin. Anything put before God is sin.

The moment Eve listened to the lies of the serpent and took the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and ate it, sin entered the world. From that point on, we impaired our relationship with God.

God then gave the law to Moses to share with the Jews for a way for them to repent and redeem themselves before God. The people would bring an offering based on the sin to give to God. These were flour, oil, lambs, bulls, and other designated items.

God gave the law as the standard of perfection and holiness, but God knew we could never achieve this. So, God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to come and take the place of the law. Jesus lived for thirty years and experienced everything we experience. He then hung on the cross to die for us. When He died, a heavenly transaction took place, and this is atonement.

Atonement

The transaction was that through Jesus’ death on the cross, His blood wiped all our sins clean. The blood of Jesus allows for God to see us pure before Him because Jesus died for each and everyone of our sins. In His death, He allowed us to be at one with Him.

The writer of Hebrews tells us all about this exchange in Hebrews 9:11-28. I encourage you to read it. Here is just a small portion.

“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Hebrews 9:13-14 NIV

Through His death, God dealt with our sin once and for all.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 NIV

It is only through Jesus that we have salvation. It is through His death we find salvation and because of His blood, we can have access to God. This is the beauty of atonement. That we are at one with Him.

“But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

1 Peter 1:19-20

Some like to argue that God made mistakes and that is why He changed the plan, but here in 1 Peter we read this was the plan from the foundations of the earth. I love this quote from Dr. Bill Creasy.

“Redemption was in the thought and plan from the beginning. When man fell, he fell into the arms of divine mercy. The Lamb of God was slain from the foundations of the world.”

Dr. Bill Creasy

The Invitation

This invitation to be at one with God is for everyone. It does not matter what you have done, where you were born, or if you have wandered away. This message is for all. If you do not know Jesus, I invite you to fall into His divine mercy. Trust in the One who wants to rescue you from the chains you find yourself in, heal you from trauma and disease, and live at one with you for all eternity.