Atonement

Atonement is the act of repairing a broken relationship by dealing with the wrong that caused it.

In Christian thought, "atonement" refers to the act by which God and humanity are reconnected and brought into a personal relationship. The term implies a removal of separation or alienation between God and humans. The word comes from Anglo-Saxon words meaning "making at one" or "at-one-ment." It is closely associated with reconnecting and forgiveness.

In the King James Version, "atonement" appears frequently in the Old Testament but only once in the New Testament (Romans 5:11). Modern translations correctly use "reconciliation" instead. Despite the change in words, the concept of atonement is central to the New Testament and to Christian theology as a whole. It emphasizes that God takes the initiative in human salvation, offering pardoning grace through atonement. For humans, who cannot connect themselves to God, atonement provides a new and living way to connect with God.

The need for atonement is due to human sinfulness, as depicted throughout Scripture:

The prophet Isaiah said, "We all like sheep have gone astray" (Isaiah 53:6).

Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

David, who wrote many psalms, cried, "There is no one who does good, not even one" (Psalm 14:3).

Paul described the sinfulness of man caused by his disobedience and idolatry (Romans 1:18–32). He summed it up: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Elsewhere, Paul described humans as:

enemies of God (Romans 5:10),

"hostile to God" (Romans 8:7),

"alienated from God and … hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" (Colossians 1:21), and

just like Adam: "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12).

The problem of human sin is made worse by God's holiness. God cannot look at sin. Isaiah saw the holy God in the temple and felt afraid because of his own sins (Isaiah 6:1–5). People are very sinful, and God is completely holy. Because of this, people are scared of God and cannot change this situation on their own. They are lost and helpless, facing God's judgment. They cannot make themselves right with God or earn God's care.

Only God can make it possible for people to be made right with him. The way God does this in the Bible shows us about both God's nature and human nature.

In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, the word often translated "atone" means "to wipe out," "to erase," "to cover," or more generally "to remove." This word is translated in different ways, such as:

"to make atonement,"

"forgive,"

"appease,"

"pacify,"

"pardon,"

"purge,"

"put off," and

"reconcile."

In the Old Testament, the most common way to make atonement was through animal sacrifice. The most important part of a sacrifice was the shedding of blood. The Bible says that life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). When the blood was poured out, it meant that life was given up and death happened. In sacrifices, blood stood for death, not life. Some people think that pouring out the blood made life available to the people. But it was the life of the flesh that was in the blood, and the flesh was sacrificed. In the New Testament, it is because Jesus rose from the dead that his life is available to believers.

Not every mention of atonement in the Old Testament was about shedding blood. On the Day of Atonement, two goats were used. One goat was killed. The other goat was "presented alive before the LORD to make atonement" (Leviticus 16:10).

This second goat, called the scapegoat, was sent into the desert carrying the people's sins. Sending the goat away took the place of shedding blood. The goat suffered instead of the people. It was a substitute for them.

There were also other ways to make atonement. The Israelites gave money for the temple (Exodus 30:16). Aaron and Moses used incense to stop a disease from spreading: “He offered the incense and made atonement for the people” (Numbers 16:47).

These few special cases do not change the main Old Testament idea of atonement through animal sacrifice. The New Testament sums this up by saying, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22).

In the Old Testament, the idea of atonement for sin led to such terms as "expiation" and "forgiveness." From the idea of atonement for the wrath or judgment of God came "propitiation" and "reconciliation." Modern English Bible translations use different words to explain the idea of atonement that God provides.

The New Testament clearly shows that Christ's work, especially his death on the cross, provides atonement. The New Testament still uses Old Testament language, especially the word "blood." For example, the New Testament talks about:

the “blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28),

the “new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20),

the “blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13), and

the “blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20).

The New Testament also often mentions the cross and the death of Christ, which mean almost the same thing as blood in these cases. The New Testament is called the new covenant of Jesus Christ, made official by his blood.

The New Testament uses several words and pictures to explain the meaning of Christ's death. It describes his death as a sacrifice offered to God (Ephesians 5:2) and as the one sacrifice that completely deals with sin (Hebrews 7:27; 9:26; 10:12).

Paul says that God presented Christ as an “atoning sacrifice” (Romans 3:25). Some Bible translations use the word “propitiation,” which emphasizes that Christ turned away God's righteous judgment against sin. Others use “expiation,” which emphasizes that Christ removed sin. The expression “atoning sacrifice” might include both ideas. Christ's death fulfilled what the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to.

The New Testament also describes Christ as the true sacrificial lamb. Paul calls him "our Passover lamb" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Peter says that believers were redeemed, or set free, by the precious blood of Christ, "a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18–19). John's description of Jesus as "the Lamb of God" also points to his sacrificial death (John 1:29, 36).

Christ's death is also described as being "for us." Sometimes this means that Christ acted as our representative. He acted on behalf of those who trust in him. For example, Paul writes, "One died for all, therefore all died" (2 Corinthians 5:14). Hebrews presents Christ as our High Priest before the Father, and John calls him our “advocate,” one who speaks on our behalf before the Father (1 John 2:1).

In other passages, the words "for us" point beyond representation to substitution. Christ took our place. Paul writes, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus also said that he came "to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45), and Paul wrote that Christ "gave Himself as a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:6). Paul also says that Christ became "a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). Caiaphas, the high priest, unknowingly pointed to this truth when he said "it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish" (John 11:50).

See also Propitiation; Expiation; Offerings and Sacrifices; Day of Atonement; Redeemer, Redemption; Ransom.