Atonement
The pardoning of mankind through the final sacrifice of Jesus by the horrendous punishment He took when He gave up His life on the cross is referred to as the Atonement. But,what does the word itself mean?
It doesn’t just describe the physical payment that He made for us because there was a greater purpose to it, and that purpose was for our sakes.
The Scriptures expand upon what this did for us, but before we examine them and offer a more in-depth teaching, let’s break down the word ‘Atonement’ itself and view it from a different perspective…..
At-one-ment
When I discovered this mind-boggling revelation, it also reminded me of a lesson that was given to me early on in my Christian walk, and one which everyone can benefit from. That being said, read scriptures slowly.
So……. breaking the word apart, we see beyond the surface promises of God that Jesus fulfilled. It is also important to note that His mission was not completed until He poured His blood on the mercy seat in heaven. That was the completion of His initial mission.
There is so much more that He will do in the not-too-distant future. There is no doubt in my mind that He is coming back to us very soon, and that is something that I hope we are all looking forward to.
In the meantime there are things which we need to accomplish before we can take advantage of the things already put in place by His initial coming. This is where we can look at the word Atonement delving more deeply into its meaning and better understanding, for receiving the gifts that He has already given through that initial mission to the earth.
Webster’s dictionary gives one explanation as “the satisfactional reparation of an offense or injury to another.” And a further definition is “the reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.”This is giving the reason for Jesus’ sacrifice but is not just a simple payment for damages done to God the Father.
When Adam and Eve committed the sin of disobeying the Father, it caused the separation between them and God. The punishment was due.
As is explained in previous teachings, Satan is a legalist and therefore the punishment, the payment for this sin had to be exact. At that time the law demanded that the sin could only be paid for by a blood sacrifice. Satan would’ve demanded that the death and blood sacrifice be identical to the creator of that sin. In other words, that sin was committed by a perfect man; therefore, the price would have to be the death and blood of a perfect man. No perfect man existed on the earth at that time. Adam and Eve were no longer perfect and therefore could not pay the debt demanded by the law.
Can’t you See Satan standing in front of the Father, arms folded and gloating because of victory. But God had a plan!
God loved His creation, and so He was not about to give up on them.
One of the most beautiful scriptures that proves this is to be found in Hebrews 13:5 – …… for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
And of course, John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
So, eternal life with God was returned to mankind.
The relationship between them returned to being AT-ONE-MENT.