regeneration

The Study of Atonement

Let us take a few moments to consider the atonement. It is my thought that in the Old Testament the blood of the sacrifical system covered the sins of the saints, so that they could have fellowship with their God. In the New testament this is taken a step further, in that the atonement was completed on the cross. What was lacking in the Old Testament system was completed in the death of the Lord.

Atonement in the New Testament is a translation of the Greek word "katalithozo" (Strong's 2643). It appears as atonement only once, in Ro. 5:11. The other appearances are translated reconciliation. Ro. 11:15; II Cor. 5:18; II Cor. 5:19.

In the Old Testament atonement was always related to the idea of a sacrifice being given to atone for sins of the people. It is used almost exclusively in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Only four other occurrences are found outside these three books.

There are two words translated atonement in the Old Testament. ("Kip-poor'" and "kaw-far'") The first comes from the second and the meaning is to cover. It is the word that is used in Genesis 6:14, "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch." Noah was to use pitch, or kawphar to cover the ark.

Indeed, is not Noah covering the ark with pitch and being saved, a picture of the Old Testament saint that sacrificed an animal, and the animal becoming a covering for the sin, to protect the saint?

II Chr. 29.24 Is a passage that pictures the blood of animals bringing the people to a point of fellowship with their God, and the COVERING of their sin, which looked forward to a future removal of sin, which we, from our vantage point, know to be the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. "And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel."

Now, we already see that there is something different between the Old Testament concept of atonement and that in the New Testament. In the old economy there was a COVERING for sin, yet in the New there is a doing away with sin. (Acts 22.15 speaks to washing away of sin - as opposed to the covering already mentioned.) Some might suggest Ps 103.12 to show that the Old Testament saints sins were gone "As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us." I think however that this is a declaration of freedom from sin, not the removal of it for all time.

Hebrews nine pictures a work of the priests of old that is inadequate to care properly for the need, while the sacrifice of Christ is that which completes all that was yet needed. Going further in Hebrews we see very clearly in chapter ten that there was something quite lacking in the sacrifical system - it could not make man what he needed to be before God - only the work of Christ could do that.

The term is one which is translated reconciling or reconciliation in the New Testament usually, and atonement only once. Atonement is the paying of a price to bring man and God back together. The question of whom the atonement was for, is often raised.

Some see the atonement as only for the elect. The strong Calvinist would be in this group. Christ died only for those that God, in His sovereign will, did elect in eternity past. Others view Christ's work on the cross for the sins of the world - for all of mankind.

The abundance of Scripture seems to indicate the unlimited atonement is best. John 1:29 Christ taketh away the sin of the world. John 3:16 God loved the world. John 6:51 Christ gave flesh for the world. Rom. 11:12,15 Reconciling of the world. II Cor. 5:19 Christ reconciling the world to Himself. I Jo. 2:2 Christ propitiation for sins of the world. II Cor. 5:14 Christ died for all. I Tim. 2:4,6 Christ ransom for all. Tit 2:11 Grace that bringteth salvation appeared to all men. Heb. 2:9 Christ tasted death for every man. II Pet. 3:9 God wants all to come to repentance.

It would seem from these verses that Christ died for the sins of every individual that has, or will live on this earth. The fact that many are lost shows that the work of Christ must be accepted to become effectual in the life.

The atonement must be manward as well as Godward. God's holiness demands sin be punished. Christ died as the substitute for our sin. This affects both God and man. Man becomes correct before God, and God can see His creatures face to face. Christ did all that was needed to bring man to God. We could not do it.

If then, the atonement is that which brought man and God face to face, then how could the sin of the Old Testament folks have been taken care of until the shedding of Christ's blood? It could not, that is the point. The old system was to provide a temporary, or stop gap until that which was to come was complete.

Christ died for the sins of the world. THAT'S MISSIONS! Christ died in our place. THAT'S GRACE! Christ paid the price. THAT'S LOVE! Jesus last words on the cross were these, "It is finished." THAT'S VICTORY!! He was speaking of the work that God had given Him to accomplish on this earth! He did all that was required of Him. All that was required of Him was all that God had planned for Him before the foundation of the world. All that was planned was the culmination of the provision of man's great need - a sacrifice of an unspotted, pure, and perfect lamb, the Lamb of God.