Atonement
Reading: Romans 5:1-11
“God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”
What can we do about the problem of sin? How do we know repentance will work? The bad news is that as individuals we can do nothing to get rid of our sin and guilt. The good news is that God has already done something for us. Christ has died for us, not because we are good people, deserving of God’s love, but because we are sinners in need of help.
Christ’s coming is God’s gift to us. God has never been our enemy. We can be at peace with God because God has loved and accepted us as we are. We are invited to a new relationship with God, one of closeness and friendship.
Theologians have a word for the sacrificial death of Jesus. They call it atonement. The New Testament uses many pictures to describe this action: paying a ransom, fighting with an enemy, offering a sacrifice, paying a legal penalty. All of them are intended to demonstrate that God has made the first move to repair our relationship.
Our sin hurts God. God does not want to be separated from us. So God makes us a loving and generous offer to be reconciled with God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we accept this gift we are “at-one” with God.
For Reflection: With which New Testament picture of atonement do I most easily identify?
Prayer Seed:
Blest be the Lord, who comes in power
With messages of grace,
Who come in this accepted hour
To save our sinful race.
Isaac Watts, 1719
