Atonement

<<bringing together, making one>>

It is bringing those who are estranged or separated back to restoration and unity through reconciliation. Jesus Christ took the place of mankind, suffering the penalty for sin through His substitution or vicarious atonement (done in the place of someone else). The Bible states "He gave His life as a ranson for many...The righteous [suffering] for the unrighteous, to bring us to God" (Mk 10:45; 1 Pet 3:18). As human beings because of our sin we are hopelessly lost and unable to be reconciled to God on their own.

All mankind, except Jesus have sinned, and this sin separates from God – the penalty being death
(Isa 59:2; Ezek 18:4,20; Rom 3:23, 6:23). “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of
sins” (Heb 9:22). However, in the OT God, graciously permitted the death of a sacrificial animal to
substitute for the death of the sinner (Lev 17:11). This only ‘covered’ sin. For us today, it is the death

Thank God for the power of the blood of Christ

and blood of Christ that has secured our forgiveness and completely removes the sin of the “Whosoever believes in Him…” (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8-10). “…God sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins...making Him to be sin who knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Jn 4:10). There is no necessity for an ongoing sacrifice but just the appropriation or applying of the blood of Jesus after sinning (with the accompanying change in lifestyle). “Their sins and lawless actions I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven there is no longer any sacrifice for sin required” (Heb 10:17,18). Jesus as our great High Priest ‘made us one’ with God when He gave His life on the cross.

The Day of Atonement is an annual Jewish feast or festival (also called Yom Kippur), during which sin is corporately confessed (Lev 16:1-34, 23:26-32). It was the only time each year the High priest could enter the Holy of Holies (the innermost portion of the Tabernacle and later the temple) where he made atonement for the people with the required sacrifices.