What is the atonement?
Question 7097
The word “atonement” is one of those theological terms that gets used frequently in church but may not be well understood. Yet it describes something absolutely essential to the Christian faith: how sinful human beings can be reconciled to a holy God. Understanding the atonement helps us grasp what Jesus accomplished on the cross and why it matters for every person who has ever lived.
The Meaning of Atonement
The English word “atonement” is fascinating because it was essentially invented by William Tyndale in the sixteenth century when he was translating the Bible. He created it from “at-one-ment,” capturing the idea of bringing two parties who were separated back together into a state of oneness, of being “at one.” That is exactly what the atonement accomplishes: it reconciles God and humanity, who were estranged because of sin.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word most often translated “atonement” is כָּפַר (kaphar), which means to cover, to make reconciliation, or to appease. It appears frequently in connection with the sacrificial system, particularly on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place to make atonement for the sins of the entire nation (Leviticus 16).
In the New Testament, several Greek words capture different aspects of atonement. The word ἱλασμός (hilasmos) means propitiation, the turning away of wrath (1 John 2:2; 4:10). The word καταλλαγή (katallagē) means reconciliation, the restoration of relationship (Romans 5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19). The word ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) means redemption, the paying of a ransom to secure release (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7). Together, these words paint a rich picture of what Jesus accomplished.
The Old Testament Background
The entire Old Testament sacrificial system was designed to teach Israel about atonement and to point forward to the ultimate sacrifice that was coming. When Adam and Eve sinned, God killed animals to clothe them (Genesis 3:21), the first hint that sin requires a death and that covering comes through shed blood. When Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God provided a ram as a substitute (Genesis 22:13), teaching that God Himself provides the sacrifice.
The Passover in Egypt established the pattern most clearly. Each household was to sacrifice a lamb and apply its blood to the doorposts. When the angel of death passed through Egypt, he would pass over every house protected by the blood (Exodus 12). The lamb died so that the firstborn would not. This was substitution: an innocent life given in place of the guilty.
The Levitical sacrificial system developed this further. There were burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings, each serving a different purpose but all involving the principle that atonement requires sacrifice. The Day of Atonement was the climax, when the high priest would confess the sins of the people over a goat and send it into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away their iniquities (Leviticus 16:20-22). Another goat would be sacrificed, its blood brought into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled on the mercy seat, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant where God’s presence dwelt.
Yet the writer to the Hebrews makes clear that these sacrifices were never sufficient in themselves: “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). They were shadows pointing to the reality that was coming. They taught the principle that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22), but they awaited the perfect sacrifice that would actually accomplish what they could only symbolise.
Jesus as the Atoning Sacrifice
When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). John recognised that Jesus was the fulfilment of everything the sacrificial system had anticipated. He was the true Passover Lamb, the ultimate sin offering, the perfect substitute.
On the cross, Jesus accomplished what all the Old Testament sacrifices together could never achieve. He made atonement for sin once for all. As Hebrews puts it: “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). There is no need for further sacrifices; Jesus’ death was complete and sufficient.
Paul summarises the atonement in Romans 3:25: “God put forward [Jesus] as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” God had not punished sins immediately in the Old Testament period; He had passed over them in anticipation of the cross, where justice would finally be satisfied. Now, through faith in Jesus, sinners receive the benefit of His atoning death.
What the Atonement Accomplishes
The atonement accomplishes several things simultaneously, each captured by different biblical terms.
First, it provides propitiation, the satisfaction of God’s wrath. God’s anger against sin is not irrational fury but holy justice. Jesus absorbed that wrath in our place, so that those who trust in Him no longer face condemnation (Romans 8:1). The mercy seat in the tabernacle, where the blood was sprinkled, was called the ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion), the place of propitiation. Jesus has become our mercy seat, the place where God’s wrath is turned away.
Second, it provides reconciliation, the restoration of relationship. We were enemies of God through our sin, but through the cross we have been made friends. “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). The barrier between us and God has been removed; we now have peace with Him.
Third, it provides redemption, liberation from bondage. We were slaves to sin, unable to free ourselves. Jesus paid the ransom price with His own blood. “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Fourth, it provides forgiveness, the cancellation of the debt we owed. Our sins deserved punishment; Jesus took that punishment so that we could go free. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
Conclusion
The atonement is the heart of the Gospel. It tells us that God has not left us in our sins but has provided the way of salvation through His Son. It tells us that the cross was not an accident but the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan. It tells us that those who trust in Jesus are completely forgiven, fully reconciled, and eternally secure. The Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to this; the Lord’s Supper points back to it; and one day we will worship the Lamb who was slain forever in the presence of God. That is what the atonement means.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
Bibliography
- Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.
- Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.
- Stott, John R.W. The Cross of Christ. Downers Grove: IVP, 1986.
- Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
- Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.