PROPITIATION not ATONEMENT

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.