“ATONEMENT”
Original Language
Heb. KAPHAR – to cover, purge, expiate, appease, propitiate, disannul (noun form is KIPPUR, as in Yom Kippur “The Day of Atonement”).
Affirmations about how God uses the word
Atonement is when penalty and propitiation meet. It involves cleansing the defiled, forgiving the guilty, and reconciling the alienated. It is made by a blood sacrifice of a sin bearer for the sin of someone else. It is appeasing the wrath of God against sin. Atonement is ultimately found in the cross of Christ.
“Something that is done has got to be undone. Sin angers God and God must be appeased. Sin defiles and cleansing is necessary. Sin causes guilt and needs to be pardoned. Sin separates from God and the sinner must be reconciled. Sin cannot be ignored and must be transferred to someone else and God’s righteousness must be transferred to the sinner. If someone’s sin isn’t transferred to some sin bearer and the righteousness of God is not conferred to them, they have no hope of salvation.” (Given Blakely)
As Used in the Law
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT – LEVITICUS 16
Atonement was made, according to the Law, in the “holy place inside the veil” and no one was to enter except upon God’s approval (v. 2). Not just anyone could make atonement, but only certain people at certain times, in certain ways, in certain places. Atonement is not a small thing to accomplish. The appeasing of God of consuming fire will not be easy or simple. An offering had to be made by Aaron to even enter the holy place (v. 3). Aaron himself had to wear holy garments and wash before he put them on (v. 4). He had to make atonement for himself and for his household before he could make atonement for the entire congregation (v. 6). He had to bring two goats with him, one for a sin offering and the other as a scapegoat (v. 7-10). The offering for Aaron and his household was to accompany “sweet incense” to be offered on the mercy seat “otherwise he will die” (v. 11-13). The slaughtered animals’ blood was then placed on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat (v. 14-16). He is to make atonement by himself (v. 17). The blood of these sacrifices makes atonement for Aaron and his household and the holy place, the tent of meeting and the altar. Then he shall offer the live goat (v. 18-20). Aaron places both of his hands on the goat and confesses the sins of the people thereby transferring the sins to the goat and releasing it, by the hand of a man in readiness, into the wilderness (v. 21-22). Then Aaron shall change clothes and wash before offering up the burnt offerings for himself and the people (v. 23-25). The man who released the goat into the wilderness must also wash before returning to the camp (v. 26). The bull and goat whose blood was used to make atonement for the places are to be burned “outside the camp” (v. 27). The one who burns them must then wash (v. 28). All of this is to be done annually on “the day of atonement” to cleanse the people from their sins (v. 29-30). It is also a sabbath day of rest (v. 31). The anointed and ordained priest will perform the atonement once a year as an ordinance (v. 32-34).
Look at the teaching. The man making the atonement must himself be clean, the anointed priest, wearing holy garments, and performing the duty alone. Atonement is made when the blood is applied to the mercy seat. The sin of the people is taking into the wilderness never to return. The bodies of the bull and goat are burned “outside the camp.” By this the people are cleansed before the Lord. This ordinance, no doubt, is to prepare the people for the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus is the High Priest who was sinless and offered himself as the sacrifice once for all and suffered outside the camp.
“11But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:11-14
“11For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” Hebrews 11:11-12
In Leviticus 23:26-32 the Lord again speaks to Moses concerning the day of atonement. Emphasizing that it is “a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls” (v. 32). Atonement is a solemn occurrence and cannot be taken lightly. Had anyone not humbled themselves they were cut off from the people. In the same way, if anyone does not humble himself in considering the atonement of Christ, he too will be cut off.
ATONEMENT IS FOR CLEANSING.
Because sin defiles a man, cleansing is necessary. We have already learned from Leviticus 16:4 that whoever makes the atonement has to be clean; he must be holy (Exodus 29:37). Not only is this true but atonement itself is for cleansing. Atonement is made for a woman who gives birth so that she might be cleansed (Leviticus 12:5-7). The priest would make atonement for the leper who is to be cleansed (Leviticus 14:17-32). The Levites as a whole were cleansed as a people set apart for the priesthood (Numbers 8:5-21).
Cleansing in Christ. Jesus too was clean when He made atonement for the sins of man. He is the One who “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21) and was “made like His brethren in all things” (Hebrews 2:17) and tempted in all things but was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Because He was already clean, He did not need to offer a sacrifice first for His own sins but was able “to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17). It is Jesus’ blood that cleanses our consciences from dead works (Hebrews 9:13-14). It is our faith that cleanses our hearts (Acts 15:9). It is the washing of water with the word that cleanses the church (Ephesians 5:26). But the ultimate thing that cleanses us is the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).
This is a teaching that the people of God must hear. Otherwise we are like Israel of old who needed to have a day of atonement each year because of their conscience and knowledge of imperfections. “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered because the worshippers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?” (Hebrews 10:1-2). But those in Christ, like the animals in Peter’s vision, can have said of them, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15). “Let us draw near in full assurance of faith, having our heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22).
RESCUE FROM WRATH
Atonement is a quenching of the wrath brought on by sin. God hates sin and will not ignore it but must punish it. It will either be paid for by the person who committed the sin or by another sin bearer. In atonement, a sin bearer takes the punishment. In Israel’s day the sin bearer was an animal. In the New Covenant the sin bearer is Jesus Christ.
When Korah and company rebelled against Moses and Aaron, God was ready to destroy the whole congregation on the spot saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly” (Numbers 16:21). Moses and Aaron interceded and God only killed Korah, Dathan and Abiram and all that belonged to them (16:22-35). All the congregation then came and grumbled against Moses and Aaron for the death of so many and God once again was ready to pour forth His wrath saying, “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly” (16:41-45). Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, the plague has begun! Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked” (16:46-48).
Atonement is where the wrath of God meets that which quenches it. The offering of incense was an appeal to God to show mercy and quench His wrath and it was effective. In the New Covenant it is the blood of Jesus that fully quenches the wrath of God. Jesus “rescues us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). God displayed Jesus “publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25).
MADE BY SOMEONE ELSE
Atonement as you can see is not an easy accomplishment. When we consider some of the sins committed against God we may be tempted to ask if it is even possible. The sins of Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli the priest, were great. The Lord spoke to Samuel concerning the family saying, “For I have told him [Eli] that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (1 Samuel 3:13-14). This indeed would have the peoples’ ears tingle as it does ours. And again the sin of the nation at Mount Sinai with the golden calf was so great the Moses says, “Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” As it turns out, “the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.” (Exodus 32:30-35).
Through these stories it is evident that atonement is often made by someone on behalf of the sinner. Eli wanted to make atonement for the sin of his sons. Moses wanted to make atonement for the sins of the people. A man who made atonement for himself had to bring an offering as the sin bearer.
“That it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf” (Leviticus 1:4). Even if the entire congregation errs, the anointed priest “shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven” (Leviticus 4:13-20). Here also we see that atonement deals with forgiveness for those who have “become guilty” (4:13). It is when the person is aware of his sin that he becomes guilty. When he “comes to know it,” he must confess it to the priest and bring his guilt offering and the priest will make atonement on his behalf.
“1Now if a person sins after he hears a public adjuration to testify when he is a witness, whether he has seen or otherwise known, if he does not tell it, then he will bear his guilt. 2Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, though it is hidden from him and he is unclean, then he will be guilty. 3Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty. 4Or if a person swears thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, in whatever matter a man may speak thoughtlessly with an oath, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty in one of these. 5So it shall be when he becomes guilty in one of these, that he shall confess that in which he has sinned. 6He shall also bring his guilt offering to the LORD for his sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for his sin.” Leviticus 5:1-6
And as we consider Christ as our atoning sacrifice, we rejoice in needing not to offer sacrifices time and time again but He sacrificed Himself once for all that we might come to God. Now he serves as our Mediator and our Intercessor and our Advocate. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).
IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS
It is common today to here the phrase “ignorance is bliss” or “what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Well neither of these hold any weight in the eyes of God. For with God the opposite is true. What man doesn’t know will in fact, destroy him. God said through Hosea the prophet, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6). Atonement makes provision for ignorance. Atonement can and must be made “when a leader sins and unintentionally does any one of the things which the lord his God has commanded not to be done, and he become guilty” (Leviticus 4:22-26). Atonement must be made for the unintentional sins of “the common people” as well (Leviticus 4:27-31). Atonement must be made for unintentional sins against the holy things and restitution must be made (Leviticus 5:14-16). “Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, though he was unaware, still he is guilty and shall bear his punishment” (Leviticus 5:17).
ATONEMENT IS IN THE BLOOD SACRIFICE
Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” The life is in the blood. When God spoke to Noah after the flood He said, “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood” (Genesis 9:4). We know that the wage of sin is death and here we learn that the sacrifice of life, in the blood, makes atonement. For atonement to occur, there had to be a blood sacrifice, and in the Old Covenant, there was plenty of blood sacrifices. When Hezekiah restored temple worship, after cleansing the places and consecrating the priests, he brought “seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah.” “The priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood to atone for all Israel” (2 Chronicles 29:20-24).
“According to the Law one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). But again, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). And so we come to Jesus who said, “for this is M blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Atonement is found in Christ; in His blood. It was the Messiah who Daniel prophesied about saying, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place” (Daniel 9:24). This prophecy was fulfilled in the coming of Christ and His death which made “atonement for iniquity.”
New Testament Scriptures
The word is not used during the time of Christ or in the New Testament Scriptures but in Romans 5:11 in the King James Version. However the doctrine is taught all throughout!
ROMANS 5:8-11
“8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:8-11
The word translated “reconciliation” in most translations (NASB, ASV, YLT, DRB, LIT, ALT, ISV), is translated “atonement” in the KJV. The emphasis in this text is obviously reconciliation, which is part of the doctrine of atonement. In atonement the wrath of God is satisfied and therefore, reconciliation is a possibility. B.W. Johnson says it this way in his commentary of verses 6-11, “The steps of the divine plan, as shown in these verses, are (1) The death of Christ for us. (2) The satisfaction thus made to the demands of justice. (3) The propitiation, or God's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice for us. (4) Reconciliation. Our acceptance of Christ. "We love God because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). (5) Forgiveness of sin, or justification. Our sins are blotted out. (6) Our redemption from the grave. (7) Our glorification in heaven.” (The People’s New Testament). In the death of Christ; in Him laying down His life; in Him pouring out His blood, we have atonement. “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isaiah 53:10). The sacrifice of Jesus pleased God even as Christ Himself said, “For this reason My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, that I may take it again” (John 10:17).