Day of Atonement:
What Is
"Atonement"?
It is very
painful to see two individuals who used to have a close, loving
bond, such as a happy marriage, drift—or crash—into a broken
relationship. Their separation can affect not only both
of them, but their whole extended circle of family and friends.
If one—or,
preferably, both—can find it in their heart to do whatever is
necessary to restore that relationship to harmony, it is
possible that they may settle the problems, resolve the
differences, and find themselves reconciled. Such a
reconciliation will be a great joy to the family and friends who
love them both.
The English
words atone and atonement are seldom heard in
conversation in modern times, outside of religious circles. They
are terms in particular that are found in the Bible to describe
this situation of separation and reconciliation, but not between
two humans. They address the relationship between God and
individual men and women—and God and all of mankind.
In this
context, something has separated God and humans, and “to atone”
means for them to become reconciled. In order for this to
happen, something has to “supply satisfaction” for the problem
that has caused conflict, and thereby “put right” whatever was
wrong that caused the separation.
The noun
atonement is used in the Bible to describe the process
by which this reconciliation happens, including any “reparation”
that must be made for wrong done that was part of the cause of
the separation.
So just what
is it that has separated God and man?
Isaiah
59:1-2
Behold, the
LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his
ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his
face from you, that he will not hear.
When God
created Adam and Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden, He
had an intimate relationship with them, speaking with them
directly, as a Father. When they sinned by disobeying His
commandment, they were cut off from that kind of relationship,
and were sent away from the immediate presence of God. And from
that day to this, all humans have continued this pattern of sin,
cutting themselves off from having that close relationship with
God that Adam and Eve had once enjoyed.
Romans 3:23
… for all
have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.
Man has cut
himself off from God by his sinful nature, and has “earned” only
permanent separation from God, through death.
Romans 5:23
For the wages of sin is death;
,,,
But the
Bible also explains the process whereby this separation can be
healed, and a reconciliation can come about. This process is
called “the atonement.” And it is provided through Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:23
…
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Romans 5:10-11
For if, when
we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the
death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall
we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also
rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom
we have now received reconciliation. [KJV: “the
atonement”]
2 Corinthians
5:17-21
Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone,
the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are
therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his
appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be
reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin
for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God.
Colossians 1:18-22
And he is
the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the
firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might
have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness
dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all
things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by
making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were
alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of
your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by
Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in
his sight, without blemish and free from accusation…
The idea
that the death of a perfect sacrificial victim could be the
“ransom” that pays the wages that are due us was introduced in
the Old Testament in the priestly system of animal sacrifices:
Leviticus 1:1-4
The LORD
called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He
said, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When any of you
brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal
from either the herd or the flock. " 'If the offering is a burnt
offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect.
[KJV: “blemish”] He must present it at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD. He is to
lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be
accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.
Animals
“without defect” would be difficult for a herdsman to give up.
They would be, in essence, his “prime breeding stock.” Thus in
the sacrificial system of ancient Israel, which always specified
that animals offered for sacrifice for sin be without defect,
the gravity of sin would be emphasized to the people over and
over. It is often difficult for humans to perceive the results
of their sins, at least in the short term. Thus it is possible
to ignore how harmful those sins are to others, to themselves,
and to their relationship with God. Under the sacrificial
system, everyone could see very vividly a representation of the
fruit of their sins ... the loss of something valuable. The life
and blood of each sacrificial animal provided an atonement
for the sin of the owner.
This process
of providing a substitute victim was even more vividly described in the
ceremony of the annual Holy Day of the Day of Atonement.
Leviticus 16:29-34
"This is to
be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh
month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether
native-born or an alien living among you- because on this day
atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the
LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of
rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as
high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the
sacred linen garments and make atonement for the Most Holy
Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the
priests and all the people of the community. "This is to be a
lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a
year for all the sins of the Israelites." And it was done,
as the LORD commanded Moses.
Our sins
have cut us off from an intimate relationship with God. If we
are to experience His blessings in this life and be welcomed
into His Family for eternity after our death and resurrection,
we need somehow to have that relationship restored. We need to
be reconciled with God, and thus we need an atonement through
the removal of the burden of guilt we have.
To learn
more about how we may receive this atonement through Jesus
Christ, and how this was foreshadowed in the ancient ceremony of
the Day of Atonement, see the article
Together Again elsewhere on this
Times of Refreshing website.
Many people
who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, whether they refer
to themselves as "Christian" or "Messianic," observe the
biblical Feasts and Holy Days, including the Day of Atonement,
as times of worship, fellowship, and celebration. They believe
that these Feasts and Holy Days are shadows pointing to the
reality of Jesus. And they believe that there are valuable
spiritual lessons to be learned year by year through actually
physically setting aside these times as "appointments with God."
For more
about the biblical Feasts in general, see the article
Theme Times elsewhere on this Times of Refreshing
website.
For an
explanation of the Christian observance of each of the Feasts as
they come in their seasons, explore the links on the navigation
bar above.
For
sources of the Hebrew, Greek, and English definitions in this
and other articles on this website, see the
Information page.
For sources
of the Biblical quotations in this and other articles on this
website, see the Information page.
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