The necessity of the atonement

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.