www.homermassey.com

2009

Atonement - the Death of Christ on the Cross

At the heart of the Atonement are three principles:

1. "Covering"

The blood of Jesus Christ, poured out on the cross, covers the sins of a person who believes. Without the shed blood of the Savior a person's sins are open and exposed to the displeasure, judgment, and wrath of God. The blood serves as a covering. To be "under the blood," or "beneath the cross of Christ," as religious expressions go, is to be in a place of complete security.

2. "Reconciliation" through payment of the penalty for sin

The word "atonement" is used only once in the King James Version of the New Testament--"our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement" (Romans 5:11). The literal meaning of the word used here is "reconciliation." The sinner was estranged from his Creator. The judgment taken on by Jesus, God's Son satisfied divine justice, solving the problem of estrangement. This restored the broken divine-human relationship, bringing about perfect reconciliation.

3. "Substitution"

Christ died, not as a martyr for some "cause," nor as a religious enthusiast, not merely as a prophet who sealed his testimony with his blood, but as the sinner's substitute. He died "for our sins." He died instead of us. Someone had to die the death we deserved. In loving compassion He experienced the lethal stroke. "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

It also is important to understand the Old Testament concept of Atonement

Christ died for our sins "according to the scriptures." Speaking generally, the whole Old Testament sacrificial, priestly system was a foreshadowing of the saving ministry of Christ. The principles already discussed are spelled out in the sacrificial worship of the Jewish people. The prefiguration in the Old Testament helps us to understand more completely the significance of Christ's death.

Two illustrations help show this truth:

1. The Jewish Passover (read Exodus 12:3-14 in light of 1 Corinthians 5:7).

A lamb without blemish was slain. The blood was applied to the two sideposts and the upper doorpost of the house. And God said: " I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite the firstborn in the land of Egypt…and when I see the blood, I will pass over you." The safety of the Israelites depended solely upon the shedding and application of the lamb's blood and their position beneath its covering. The parallel is obvious. The blood shed on the cross, applied in heaven, and accepted by saving faith, is one's guarantee of entrance into the company of the redeemed.

Notice carefully: it was not the character of the Jews that saved them from destruction; it was the blood of the lamb. "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7). Neither conduct or character saves us; the blood of the Lamb of God "taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

2. The Jewish Day of Atonement (read carefully Leviticus 16 which describes this)

Notice the repeated, intentional use of the words "sin offering" and "atonement." The high priest slew the sacrificial  animal as an offering for sin, entered the holy place of the tabernacle "within the vail before the mercy seat," and there sprinkled the blood in the presence of the Lord. By this act the blood covered the sins of the nation. The ideas of "imputation" and "representation" are both important. The sins of the people were transferred to the animal victim, "put to its account," "reckoned" to it; the high priest was the nation's chosen representative in the atoning process.

How great is the teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ is both sacrifice and priest. He is the Lamb of God. His blood was shed for sin. He is today our great High Priest at the right hand of God in the holy of holies, applies the blood and pleads the merits of His wounds on our behalf.

The Uniqueness of Christ's Atonement. It is unique because:

1. It is the only valid method of dealing with the problem of sin. "Without shedding of blood is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). Man in his stubborn rebellion against God may look upon this teaching as revolting. But humble hearts, who realize something of the infinite holiness of God and the awful depths of sin, rejoice that our heavenly Father has conceived and provided a perfect remedy in the saving death of His Son. The rejection of this truth means the denial of God's revelation.

2. It differs even from its Old Testament prototype (study Hebrews 8 and 9). Christ has "obtained a more excellent ministry" than that of the ancient priesthood, "by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" (Hebrews 8:6). The Old Testament priest shed the blood of an animal; Christ shed His own blood. The Hebrew priest made atonement first for his own sins and then for the sins of the nation; the sinless Christ needed no personal atonement, but offered His own blood for the iniquities of the human race.

The Finality of Christ's Atonement

The Hebrew priest entered into the holiest of all every year. The sacrifice on the Day of Atonement was an annual celebration. Christ offered Himself only once. His one offering was adequate to atone for sin forever. "Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Hebrews 9:26).

Note three things:

1. The sins of believers prior to Christ's death on the Cross were "covered" by the blood of animal sacrifices, covered until the Lamb of God shed His blood for the sins of all believers, past, present, and future. When Christ cried out on the cross, "It is finished," He was not simply declaring that His human life was ended. Rather, the final sacrifice now had been made. Ultimate payment for sin now became a fact in history.

2. Any effort to substitute another medium of salvation is contrary to the mind of God; it is a denial of the revelation of the Almighty, and a defiance of His eternal purpose in Christ. Our Savior "washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5). Calvary is the one and only altar of atonement.

3. The "once for all" aspect of Christ's sacrifice looks toward the future. Any "repetition" of Calvary, bloodless or otherwise, no matter who tries to celebrate it, or under what mystic circumstances it is performed, is a blasphemous refusal to accept Christ's atonement as eternally complete.

Appropriating the Benefits of Christ's Atonement

Jesus' atonement on Calvary was in the mind of God from the beginning. In it He showed His great wisdom and unfathomable love. At Calvary the Creator stooped in infinite mercy to the needs of a sinful race (see Ephesians 2:4-7).

The question may be asked, "How may I be sure that Christ's offering for sin was for me?" Understanding a general principle is one thing; making it practical, individual, and personal is another.

God declares that the determining factor is one's relationship to Christ. Hear the Word of salvation; open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ; acknowledge Him as the Son of God whose blood atoned for your sin, and accept Him as your Savior. One receives the benefits of Christ's atonement through faith (see John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24; 14:6; Ephesians 2:8)

Adapted by Homer Massey from A Handbook of Christian Truth by Harold Lindsell and Charles J. Woodbridge, published by Fleming H. Revell Company, (Westwood, NJ, 1953)