November 7, 2023
Dear Friends,
I’d like to spend some time writing about the relationship between atonement, forgiveness, punishment, and discipline. I’m going to take it slowly because this is a big topic. I’m also going to take it slowly because I think this is a topic that takes time to absorb. It’s all befuddled in our world and in our hearts, so we need to take time to let God’s Word have its way with us. I also think this a a tremendously important topic, maybe even the topic of our day, but I’ll leave that judgment unsettled for now.
Here’s the starting place: “[Christ] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” (Romans 5:18).
The sacrifice of Jesus atones for all sin.
But, what does that really mean? Atonement is an interesting word. In its root, it literally means “at-one-ment”. That is, an atonement is whatever brings together what has been separated.
By the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God’s children were separated from him. Remember how Adam and Eve hid from God in the garden? Remember how he cast them out of the garden as they received the sentence of death?
The perfect relationship between a heavenly Father and his image-bearing children was completely corrupted. They were no longer his children, but children of wrath, children of the devil. Adam and Eve and we along with them were no longer at one with God.
Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus, who gave up his life to bear the weight of our sins, to endure God’s wrath, to suffer and die in our place. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
This is what Jesus accomplished on the cross. His blood covered all our sins and the sins of the whole world. “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). That is, God was mending the breach between himself and his children. He was making atonement for our sins.
No quantity of your blood shed on a cross could ever atone for your sins, much less for the sins of the whole world. But the blood of Jesus is the blood of the very Son of God, and it is powerful to save.
That atonement must be received by faith. That is, you have to believe it in order to benefit from it. It’s delivered by a promise: “Your sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.” Those who don’t believe it, who don’t trust in Jesus, are guilty of a sin against the Holy Spirit – they’re calling God a liar. And that is why anyone is condemned. Unbelief condemns.
What a tragedy that is when the price for all sins has already been paid. It’s like getting thrown into debtors’ prison because you refuse to believe that someone has deposited all the money you need in your bank account. You don’t believe it, so you don’t write the check, and so you languish in prison.
Atonement means the debt has been paid. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Believe it!
What comes next? With all this in mind, we’ll start to think about this: if all our sins are forgiven, why do we still suffer for them?
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
P.S. Thanks to all who dropped a pledge in the offering basket on Sunday! If you missed that opportunity, feel free to bring your pledge and drop it in the basket any of the coming Sundays. I pray that it’s been a fruitful exercise for you to think about your relationship to your money!
COMING EVENTS:
Wednesday, Nov. 8 @ 5:30pm – Family Night
Thursday, Nov. 9 @ 6 & 7pm – Elders’ and Council Meetings