Atonement is not in the Greek of the New
Testament. The whole concept of
atonement is Old Testament and depicts the temporary 'covering of sin' as per
the blood of bulls etc. found in Hebrews 10:4-11.
"For it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he
saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared
me:
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of
the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering
and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst
pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest standeth daily ministering
and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins"
It was no atonement that paid the penalty
of sin, it was the death of Messiah that paid the wages of sin by taking away
the sins of the world (John 1:19).
This is propitiation as John states in 1st John
2:2 "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world".
The penalty of sin will never be faced by
any human being, for Jesus paid that penalty once and for all. The ungodly small and great will be judged
for their works (Revelation 20:13), those things they put forward in lieu of
Christ's sacrifice.
As believers we too will never face that
penalty, but will be chastised in life and judged at the judgement seat of
Christ for the things done in our bodies.
Anything that is not of faith is
sin therefore as Christians we are judged for the sins we commit in lieu of
faith.
Hence the command given in 1st John
1:5-11...
"This then is the message which we
have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
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.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make
him a liar, and his word is not in us."
This passage from 1st John is not to do with
our redemption, but has everything to do with our sanctification and its God
given goal... a godly life; the life to which we as believers have been
elected.
