The necessity of the atonement

1. God's holiness and man's sinfulness

The necessity of the atonement is based upon the facts of God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness.  The reaction of God’s holiness against man’s sinfulness is known as His Wrath, which may be averted by the atonement Sin is violence done to the constitution, so as to speak, under which God and man live, just as unfaithfulness does violence to the covenant under which man and wife live.  Sin is essentially an attack on God’s honor and holiness.  It is rebellion against God; for in willfully sinning man chooses his own will rather than God’s, and for the time being becomes a law unto himself.  But should God permit His honor to be attacked He would then cease to be God.  His honor calls for the destruction of the one resisting Him; His righteousness demands satisfaction of the violated law; and His holiness reacts against sin, this reaction being described as WRATH.  God’s wrath is governed by personal considerations; He is not hasty to destroy the work of His hands.  He pleads with man; He waits to be gracious.  He delays judgment in the hope that His goodness shall lead man to repentance.  However man misunderstands the Divine, delays and scoffs at the thought of judgment.

The crucifixion revealed the awfulness of sin and pictured the dread penalty upon it.  The Cross of Jesus declares that He never was, is not, and never can be indifferent to man’s sin.

2. Separation from God

Isaiah 59:2 “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God”

God is holy in nature, which means that He is righteous in character and conduct. In order to maintain fellowship with God it is necessary to be holy.

The AT-ONE-MENT restores fellowship with God.

3. Wages of sin is death

The judgment of sin is death. Life is in the blood and when blood is spilled life is given. This explains the necessity of shed blood for the remission of sins.

References: 

• Romans 2:4
• Galatians 6:7
• 2 Peter 3:9
• Romans 3:25
• Eccl 8:11

4. Redemption

The word “redeem” in both Old and New Testaments means:

1. To buy back by the paying of a price.
2. To loose from bondage by the paying of a price.
3. To buy in a market and to take from a market.

Jesus is a Redeemer and His atoning work is described as redemption.

A redeemer must have the following qualifications:

• He must be kin to the man.
• He must be willing to redeem or buy back.
• He must have the price.

Jesus measured up to all three of these qualifications. We are bought with a price.  

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1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “... and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a Price“

1 Peter 118-19 “... ye were not redeemed with corruptible things . . . But with the precious blood of Christ. . . “

What was the price?

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References: 
- Lev. 25:47-49 
- Titus 2:14
- Matthew 20:28 
- Revelation 5:9
- Galatians 3:13

5. Reconciliation

Paul does not say that God was reconciled to man but that God did something in order to reconcile man to himself. This act of reconciliation is a finished work; it is a work that has been done in the interests of men so that in the sight of God the entire world is already reconciled.  It remains for the evangelist to proclaim it and the individual to receive it.

Christ’s death has made the reconciliation of all mankind possible; each individual must make it actual.

2 Cor. 5:18-19 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself…”

Romans 5:10 “...we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son …”

Col. 1:21 “And you ... yet now hath he reconciled. “

6. The efficacy of the atonement

The meaning of the word “Efficacious” is “producing or sure to produce a desired result”.

What does the atonement produce?

Pardon of transgressions

• John 1:29
• Ephesians 1:7
• Revelation 1:5
• John 5:24
• Hebrews 9:22-28

Freedom from sin

 Not only free from the guilt of sin but also free from the power of sin – Romans 6:14.

Deliverance from death

Death is the result of sin.

• Hebrews 2:9 “that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
• John 11:26 “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

Gift of Everlasting Life

• John 3:14-16 “… should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Victorious Life

Christ conquered Satan on our behalf. Christians have the
VICTORY over the devil as long as they have the VICTOR over
the devil.

7. The Nature of the atonement

The word “atonement” in the Hebrew means literally “to cover”, and is translated in our Authorized Version by the following words: make atonement, purge, purge away, reconcile, make reconciliation, pardon, to be merciful, put off. Atonement includes the covering of both the sins and the sinner. To atone for sin is to cover sin from God’s sight so that it loses its power to provoke His wrath (Psalm 78 38; Psalm 79:9; Lev 5:18).

When the priest applied the blood to the altar, the Israelites were assured that the promises made to their forefathers would be realized for them. “

And when I see the blood I will pass over you” Exodus 12:13. 

What were the effects of the atonement or covering?

• Blotted out (Jer 18:23; Isaiah 43:25).
• Removed (Isaiah 6:7).
• Covered (Psalm 32:1).
• Cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
• Cast behind God’s back (Isaiah 38:17).
• Pardoned (Psalm 78:38).

8. Substitution

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were substitutions in Nature. They were reckoned as doing on the altar for the Israelite what he could not to for himself. In like manner Jesus did for us on the cross what we could not do for ourselves. Having taken on human nature, Christ was able to identify Himself with mankind and so stuffed. Therefore died in our stead.

He took the penalty that was ours in order that we might escape. One who was sinless by nature and who had never committed a sin in His life became a sinner (or took the sinner’s place). 

2 Corinthians 5:21 “Who hath made him to be sin for us “
1 Peter 2:24 “‘who his own self bare our sins in his own body on
the tree”.

Just as the ram caught in the thicket was a substitution for Isaac on Mount Moriah, even so Christ became a substitution for us. Just as Barabbas was freed by the death of Christ, even so we are free. Read and study carefully Isaiah, chapter fifty-three.

9. Propitiation

The word “propitiation” is believed to come from a Latin word “prop” meaning “near”.  A sacrifice of propitiation brings man near to God reconciles him to God by atoning for his transgression and winning Divine favor and grace.  To propitiate is to appease the righteous wrath of a Holy God by the offering of an atoning sacrifice.  

Christ is described as a propitiation (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). Sin keeps man at a distance from God; but Christ has so dealt with sin on man’s behalf that man may now “draw nigh” to God “in His name”.

The word “propitiation” in Romans 3:25 is the same word in the Greek used to translate the word “mercy seat”.  In both Hebrew and Greek the word conveys the thought of an atoning sacrifice.

The consistent Bible view is that the sin of man incurred the wrath of God. That wrath is averted only by Christ’s atoning offering From this standpoint his saving work is properly called propitiation.

All sin must be judged and it is here that the sins of all mankind have been judged, Christ paid the full penalty for the sins of every man.  If our sins are not judged here they will be judged at the White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).