The Atonement

In times past, small portions of Scripture have sometimes been preached in the earnest attempt to turn the lost away from sin to salvation. For example: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" [Romans 3:23 KJV] "For the wages of sin is death..." [Romans 6:23a KJV] Now let's read these same verses in context showing both the problem and the solution for sin. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." [Romans 3:23-26 KJV] "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. " [Romans 6:23 KJV] So, how can we be saved and be delivered from sin's death sentence? We find the answer in Romans chapter 5. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." [Romans 5:8-11 KJV] The everlasting gospel is the good news that Jesus satisfied the requirements of the law for us as our substitute. By His own blood, Jesus atoned for our sin. The everlasting gospel has a key feature expressed by the word atonement. Atonement is the price that was paid to reconcile those that have sinned by transgressing God law. By Jesus, we receive the atonement which means, our debt of sin, our transgression of God's law, has been reconciled. It is the blood of Jesus alone that atones for our transgression of God's law. At the heart of the everlasting gospel we find the atonement. The atonement and the everlasting gospel are inseparable. "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." [Ephesians 2:13 KJV] "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven." [Colossians 1:20 KJV] "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." [Hebrews 9:12 KJV] "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." [Hebrews 13:20-21 KJV] "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." [1 John 1:7 KJV] "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." [Romans 5:11 KJV] God's law governs His kingdom and every transgression of God's law must be reconciled because the sentence for the transgression of God's law is death. Justice demands that execution of the judgment be carried out for transgressing God's law and it is only the atonement that makes it possible for the transgressor to be made right with God. The law of God is eternal. Jesus did not abolish the law on the cross, He satisfied the law's requirements on our behalf by the atonement. If Jesus would have abolished the law on the cross, it would then be impossible for anyone to sin because sin is the transgression of God's law. One cannot transgress when there is no law to transgress. Sin is proof God's law stands! Our only means of salvation is to appropriate the righteousness of Christ which was made possible only by Jesus' atoning blood. If we remove the atonement and the faith that receives Jesus' righteousness and replace faith and the atoning blood of the Lamb with works, then we have nullified the everlasting gospel. Mercy and justice kissed at the cross. Mercy and justice are at the heart of the everlasting gospel made possible only by Jesus' atoning blood. Justice demands death to the sinner; mercy says there must be a way to keep this from happening. To satisfy both justice and mercy, God took upon Himself flesh and blood so that He could, by His mercy, shed His own blood to satisfy the demands of justice on our behalf. Because Jesus was God and Creator of all things, when Jesus died on the cross, He had all of mankind in His loins. Jesus shed His blood as a transgressor as our substitute but Jesus never sinned and therefore justice demanded that death could not hold Him. He was loosed from the pains of death, rose from the dead, given a name above every name, and was seated in heaven with all authority and power as the King of kings, and Lord of lords. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." [John 3:16-17 KJV]