When reflecting on who Jesus is and His significance in my life, I tend to reflect on two things: the past and the present. Recognizing my past (before and after Jesus) is an important piece for me because I am reminded of 1) God’s grace and 2) my sinfulness. Recognizing the present also incorporates God’s grace and my sinfulness, but also affirms the benefits that are encompassed with being a ‘child’ of God: the indwelling Spirit, spiritual gifts and eternal life to name a few. Thus, the atonement of Jesus is attached with a significant meaning to me (hopefully all believers as well) because of my attachment to sin. Without recognizing my own sinfulness, before and after Jesus, I do not believe I can truly understand what His atonement is in my life and how it resonates the motivation in all that I do.
As I continue to learn about the themes of God as presented in His word and the centrality of the Gospel through the work of Jesus, a lot of new awareness stems from understanding the Law, OT sacrifices and the wrath of God – in relationship with sin and His beloved. The idea of animal sacrifices and its relationship with the forgiveness of sins, guilt, to make things right with God (and avoid His wrath) was motivation for one to continue to offer a sacrifice. There were different types of offerings that were offered depending on who needed the sacrifice. The offering for the forgiveness of sins for a high priest and a nation would be a bull, a male goat for a tribal leader, a pigeon or dove for the poor. These offerings that could only be mediated by a high priest ‘temporarily’ satisfied God, moreover they had to be continually done and thus were incomplete.
Carrying on this line of thought into the Gospel with the focus being on the cross of Christ, I see the satisfaction of God to His beloved through Jesus. This brings me to recognize my enmity with God, my inability to atone for my own sins as Jesus upped the ante on the Sermon on the Mount – I see my face in that crowd. My personal attachment to Jesus’ atonement is always revolving around my inability to substitute anything for my own sin. In this substitution or ‘payment’ for sin (which I believe needs to be defined and understood by those who believe) in connection with OT understanding, the animal’s death replaced the death to the one offering.
Jesus mentioned that he came to fulfill the Law and not to abolish it (Matt. 5:17). This statement illuminates my understanding of what Jesus’ atonement meant in regards to OT law and the sacrificial system for sin. As the centrality of God’s work through the ultimate sacrifice of His Son on Passover, the parallel is huge. The substitution for OT law and the forgiveness of sins through the grace of God has been made complete. The playing field has been ‘evened out’ so to speak for everyone. When animal sacrifices depended on the type of sin and type of person offering the sacrifice - has now, in a sense been ‘simplified,’ but moreover placed on Jesus’ atonement – to substitute for my inability to provide anything adequate to satisfy God’s wrath.
Thus, the atonement of Christ is the redemption of my slavery to sin. It is the substitutionary payment, the forgiveness of my hostile, oppositional, rebellious nature – which all evil behaviors and desires exist from. Perhaps the quintessential aspect of Jesus’ atonement is the fact that I cannot pay back my debts – nor was I ever able to. Recognizing this truth brings me back to realizing the depth of God’s mercy and grace – that He would come to rescue me – reconciling a tainted relationship because of His love. Understanding the atonement of Jesus motivates me to respond with love (my eyes water as I type this) – because I have been forgiven much.
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