Atonement(expiation)
“To cover, to make propitiation, to ransom”
Summary
The satisfaction offered to divine justice for sin through the substitutionary death of Christ, by which God and sinners are reconciled and believers are freed from guilt and its penalty.
☩Biblical Terminology
The Hebrew word kaphar means 'to cover over,' signifying the removal of sin from divine sight through a ransom or substituted victim. The Greek terms used in the New Testament include katallagē (reconciliation), hilasmos (propitiation), and lutrōsis (redemption), each expressing different aspects of Christ's atoning work. The English word 'atonement' originally meant 'at-one-ment'—the state of harmony restored between parties formerly at variance—but has come to denote the means by which that reconciliation is achieved: the expiatory sacrifice that satisfies justice and enables forgiveness.
☩Old Testament Sacrifices
Under the Mosaic system, atonement was made through animal sacrifices, with blood as the essential medium because 'the life of the flesh is in the blood.' The soul of the offered victim atoned for the soul of the sinful offerer; innocent blood was shed to cover forfeited guilty blood. The annual Day of Atonement was the climax of Israel's worship, when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with blood to sprinkle on the mercy seat, making atonement for the sanctuary, the priests, and all the people. These sacrifices were merely typical, pointing forward to the one true sacrifice of Christ Jesus.
☩Christ's Atoning Work
The New Testament writers enshrine at the center of Christ's work its efficacy as a piacular sacrifice securing the forgiveness of sins. Jesus gave His life a 'ransom for many,' His blood was shed 'for the remission of sins,' and He suffered 'the just for the unjust to bring us to God.' His death was not merely exemplary but substitutionary: He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, becoming a curse for us. The saving efficacy is ascribed specifically to His death, blood, and cross, with such emphasis that these terms become synonymous with the gospel itself.
☩Propitiation and Reconciliation
Atonement addresses both the Godward and manward aspects of salvation. As propitiation, it satisfies the righteous demands of divine justice, turning away God's holy wrath against sin without compromising His moral character. As reconciliation, it removes the enmity between God and man, restoring the sinner to divine favor and fellowship. Importantly, God Himself provided the means of propitiation out of His love; Christ's death did not procure God's love but was its expression. The atonement reconciles the claims of justice and mercy, so that God can be 'just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.'
☩Sufficiency and Application
Christ's sacrifice was offered 'once for all,' sufficient for the sins of the whole world, requiring no repetition or supplementation. The sinner has simply by faith to embrace the means God has provided. Through the blood of Christ, believers have redemption—deliverance from guilt and the power of sin—and are sanctified and set apart for God. The atonement secures not merely pardon but complete salvation: justification, sanctification, and ultimately glorification, as all evil flows from sin and Christ's work addresses sin at its root.
Related Verses168 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Atonement," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Atonement," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Atonement," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "Atonement," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. I (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).
- 5.James Hastings (ed.), "Atonement," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 6.George Morrish, "Atonement," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 7.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Atonement," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).