Literally, atonement is the action of making amends for a wrong or injury.  It is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part or some other expression of feelings of remorse. It is repayment, reparation, restitution, redress or redemption of sin. The activity involved in the reconciliation of two opposing parties can be referred to as atonement.

This was what Jesus did for us by atoning for our sins. He reconciled mankind back to God. He repaired the damaged relationship between us and God caused by sin and reconnected us back to God. This is why He is called the mediator or the intermediary between man and God.

Sin had had driven a wedge between us and God. We became separated from God when Adam (consequently all men) broke God’s commandment. The cordial relationship between us and God was broken. We lost our confidence and boldness to approach God. Adam had to hide from God’s presence because of sin.

Since then, man had been seeking to get back to God just as God had been seeking to restore us to Himself. But it was impossible until Jesus came. In what ways did Jesus atone for our sins?

1. He atoned with His Blood and Body: Throughout the Old Testament, blood had to be shed in order to remove sin. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Since sin was the reason for the broken relationship between us and God and sin is removed through the shedding of blood, Jesus had to shed His blood to atone for our sins. In Jesus’ own words, on the night before He was crucified while He ate with the disciples, He said, “…for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28

2. He atoned with His cross: The kind of death that Jesus died was also critical to the atonement of our sins. He didn’t die by accident or a sickness or disease. He had to die on the cross. The cross was a capital punishment for executing criminals in those days and Jesus had to die on it as a sign that He was a criminal bearing our sins. If He had died through other means, He may not have atoned for our sins. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” Galatians 3:13

3. He atoned with His life: The scriptures recorded that Jesus actually died. A man may shed his blood, get injured in his body but may not die. Jesus died. He gave up His life. Matthew 27:50 says, “Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last.” In other words, He died. He became lifeless. He was even buried. This was also part of the atonement. His life was given as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

4. He atoned for the nature of sin, not just the acts of sin. We often think in terms of the acts of sin but sin is much deeper than the activities. The acts of sin are indications or manifestations of the nature of sin. Jesus went beyond dealing with the acts of sin, He destroyed the nature of sin. He annihilated the tree that produces the fruits of sin. This is why He didn’t have to shed His blood again. Romans 6:6 say, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”

5. The atonement was once and for all. In the Old Testament, blood was shed whenever a man commits a sin. Hundreds of goats, rams, bulls and birds were killed daily as people came to confess and seek a redress for their sins. This is why priests had a full time job. They were busy attending to several people who needed to get right with God after they had sinned. But Jesus put an end to that. He did it once and for all. The blood he shed once was enough to take care of all sins. Hebrews 9:12 says, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

6. The atonement was completed in His resurrection. The shedding of blood, the wounding of His body and Jesus’ death would have been useless if He didn’t come back to life on the third day. Our atonement was perfected when Jesus resurrected. 1 Corinthians 15:16-18 says, “And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.  In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!” So, His resurrection perfected the remission of our sins.

Jesus Christ was the only one qualified to carry out the atonement for the sins of all mankind. He knew no sin. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 We need someone who had the right to come before God and can fulfill the demands for justice and stand in our place to bear the consequences of sin. Jesus was capable and because of His atonement, all people will be resurrected, and those who obey His gospel will receive the gift of eternal life with God.

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