Scripture stresses the seriousness and reality of human sin, and that human beings are unable to atone for their own sins. In his grace, God provides a means by which the situation can be remedied.
Atonement is necessary because of human sinfulness
Atonement is necessary because sin cuts people off from God
Isaiah 59:2 See also Isaiah 64:7; Ezekiel 39:23; Habakkuk 1:13; John 9:31
But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.
Atonement is necessary because sin provokes God's wrath
Ephesians 2:1–3 See also Genesis 6:5–7; Exodus 32:30–35; Romans 1:18–20, Romans 2:8
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.
God's gracious nature is the basis for atonement
Atonement is grounded in God's reluctance to punish sinners
Ezekiel 18:32 See also Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:1–4; 2 Peter 3:9
For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live![’’]
Atonement is grounded in God's readiness to forgive sin
Exodus 34:6–7 The punishment of subsequent generations makes God's abhorrence of sin quite clear, but the extension of his love and forgiveness “to thousands” puts the emphasis in these verses on God's grace and compassion. See also Psalm 145:8; Daniel 9:9; Jonah 4:2
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
Atonement is grounded in God's covenant love
Numbers 14:19 The Hebrew word for “great love” means God's loving faithfulness to those within the covenant. See also Psalm 25:6–7, Psalm 103:8–12; Joel 2:13
Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”
God's provision of atonement is a means of dealing with sin
Atonement through sacrifice
Leviticus 9:7 See also Exodus 30:10; Numbers 15:22–26
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.”
God's promised new covenant of forgiveness was fulfilled in Jesus Christ's atoning death
Hebrews 10:16–17 See also Jeremiah 31:33–34; Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 12:24
“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.” Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
Images used to portray the at-one-ment, or restored relationship, between God and humanity
Atonement as forgiveness of sins
Ephesians 1:7–8 See also Leviticus 19:22; Acts 13:38; Colossians 2:13–14
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Atonement as cleansing and purification
Leviticus 16:30 See also Isaiah 6:6–7; Titus 2:14; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:14
because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Atonement as reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:19 See also Romans 5:9–11; Ephesians 2:14–16
that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Atonement as healing
1 Peter 2:24 See also 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 103:2–3; Isaiah 53:5
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
Atonement as God buying people back for himself
Revelation 5:9 See also Matthew 20:28 parallel Mark 10:45; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18–19
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Atonement as making holy: creating a relationship of consecrated nearness to God
Hebrews 10:10 See also Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 13:12
And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.