When you think of the Biblical message, the core of it is grounded in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

It’s the foundation of the Christian faith. The word “atonement,” in itself, refers to the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ did. 

Without this ultimate sacrifice, we can’t experience repentance, receive forgiveness, obey God, or even reconcile with God and each other. 

He died and shed his blood for the redemption of the entire humankind. 

But, the question is why. Also, did not other people give up their lives for others? Why is it that we do not look at them the way we do with Jesus Christ? 

What sets Jesus aside from all the others is the fact that he came to accomplish God’s Word. In other words, he came to fulfill the prophets and the law (see Matthew 5: 17-20). 

Take a look at Hebrews 9: 11-14, which I use as the foundation for this reflection. 

But, before studying Hebrews 9, read Leviticus 16: 1-33. 

It’s in this book the word “atonement” appears for the first time in the Bible. Later on, the word comes up in Paul’s letter to the Romans (3: 25, 5:11, 5:11). 

 

The word atonement in the Bible

 

As I said above, the word “atonement” appears first in Leviticus 16. 

This chapter describes God’s instructions about how the Day of Atonement should go. The goal is to receive forgiveness from God, which is done through an offering. 

This offering is unlike all the others you come across in the book of Leviticus. It requires the sacrifice of animals. 

• The High Priest atones for his sins (Leviticus 16: 6). 
• The High Priest atones for the people (Leviticus 16: 15-16). 
• The high priest atones for the environment (Leviticus 16: 33). 

Remember that, according to Leviticus 16, the High Priest had to atone for himself, and the people, once every year. 

He was also the only one to enter the holiest place in the tabernacle (later the temple after the Israelites had settled in the promised land) to do the atonement. 

 

The Old Testament is the shadow of what is to come.

 

Now, read Hebrews 10: 1-3. In this scripture, you discover that what took place in the Old Testament is the shadow of what Jesus had to do for us. 

That also includes the atonement. 

Instead of repeating the sacrifices every year like in the Old Testament, Jesus did it once and for all. 

He entered the real holy of holies, not offer the blood of animals, but his own blood for all humankind. 

When you read the gospels, you’ll see that Jesus was crucified at 9 am and died at 3 pm (the ninth hour during the day, see Mark 15: 25, and 15: 33-34, 37). 

The concept of the “ninth hour” was very common in the Jewish tradition. Jesus dying at 3 pm (the ninth hour) is a sign that he came to fulfill the prophets and law (the Word of God as written in the Old Testament). 

 

Christ is our High Priest.

 

Read Hebrews 9: 11-12. 

• Jesus, as our High Priest, is the mediator between humans and God (see 1 Timothy 2: 5). 
• Jesus, as our High Priest, is our intercessor (see Romans 8: 34). 
• Jesus, as our High Priest, chose to be the sacrificial lamb for our salvation (see John 1: 29)

 

Christ purifies our conscience. 

 

The sacrifice Jesus made for us isn’t to purify our flesh (like in Leviticus 16). He died to purify our conscience (Hebrews 9: 14).

Our human conscience is the core of who we are. It’s the place where we make decisions and choices. 

I look at it as the glue that holds our soul, spirit, and heart together!  

In other words, it displays your “inner being.” 

That’s the reason why Jesus said once that “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (Matthew 15: 11. NIV). 

What he was talking about is our conscience, the core of who we are, which dictates the way we conduct ourselves on a daily basis. 

Atonement has to do with the core of who we are. That’s what Jesus, through his death, purifies. 

More importantly, Jesus purifies us from our dead works (sinful way of life) so that we can serve God. 

 

Bringing it together

Atonement aims at bringing us one again with God and each other. It’s the price God has to pay for our redemption. God purifies us, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, so that we are able to serve God!