WHAT IS ATONEMENT
By W. G. Guy
Every year, at this appointed time, the God ordained Day of Atonement is to be celebrated by Israel. God ordained specific Holy Days (holidays) for Israel to observe because each of those days is a prophetic representation of what Jesus Christ came to do and provided for all of mankind. This day is called Yom Kippur by the Jews, and this year is celebrated on October 4th. Although this is just one of God’s Holy Days, they are all mostly ignored by the church which supposes that these celebrations are only for Israel.
What is terrible to acknowledge is that churches will celebrate Satan’s special day of celebration, called Halloween, but they ignore all of God’s seven Holy Days. The church needs to repent of rejecting what God ordained. But let’s get into the subject of atonement as it is a special acknowledgement of what God provided for mankind that Jesus did in His atoning sacrifice.
Atonement means: purge, to cover over, to pardon, and to redeem from sin. I’m not going to discuss all that God required of Israel to do in this celebration; but it all represents what was fulfilled in Jesus Christ at the time of His Passion: His humiliation, scourging and crucifixion. What is significant to recognize is just what it is that Jesus did for all of mankind in His atoning work.
Isaiah 53:4-6 – Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Contrary to what many churches believe and understand, the atonement of Jesus provided for the total redemption of man: this includes man’s body, soul (mind) and spirit. The proof of this total redemption is found in the prophetic scripture listed above.
First we need to recognize that it was God, our Heavenly Father, who initiated this work for Jesus to accomplish: we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. The wounds Jesus endured on the cross cause His blood to be shed that was the sin offering for all of our own sins (iniquities). This provided redemption from sin that corrupts our own human spirit, separating us from a positive relationship with God.
Then this atoning work also provided for the soul, (the mind and personality), of every person to be at peace and rest from fear, worry, doubt and all the mental oppression that the world and Satan causes. This is because, the chastisement of our peace was upon him.
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Next is the part of the atonement that many evangelical Christians have not accepted; that is the physical healing that is in the atonement: and with his stripes we are healed. Jesus provided for our physical healing even before He was mounted upon the cross. The Roman soldiers beat him with their unique whips that were composed of leather strips that had jagged pieces of bone at the ends. These sharp pieces of bone would tear the back of the victim leaving stripes of open flesh following the beating.
Hebrew law required that when a person was to be beaten with a whip that they were not to experience more that “forty stripes”; so the practice in beating limited such to thirty-nine stripes so as to not exceed the limit. Medical science has categorized all sickness and diseases into thirty-nine categories. Jesus took upon Himself one stripe to cover each category of sickness, disease and physical malady.
1 Peter 2:24 – who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
The apostle Peter quoting from the prophet Isaiah acknowledges that healing is in the atonement and is made available to us throughout the New Testament. I personally know of preachers who refuse to believe that healing is in the atonement. Thus they deny all that Jesus suffered and experienced for us in His passion. Those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord need to acknowledge all that He provided for us in His atonement. Failure to do so means that you will not receive the full benefits of what our Heavenly Father has given to us through the atoning sacrifice of His beloved Son.
Romans 8:31-32 – What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
This is acknowledgment of what God provided through Jesus Christ. Unbelief in His divine provision is an offense to God and Christ – rejecting what He has provided. Such a person will suffer the consequences! If you don’t believe in healing, then how do you expect to be healed? How can you enter into what God has provided if you don’t believe in it.
Hebrews 3:12-19 – Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
(Note: patience is often needed as your faith is tested for its endurance – Colossians 1:11 and James 1:3-4.)
Conclusion: the atonement provided by Jesus Christ has given mankind total redemption of spirit, soul and body. All that God has provided for us is received by faith in Him, and His Word records all that He did for us in Jesus and His cross.
As the Day of Atonement approaches, please consider ALL that Jesus did for us; spirit, soul and body, in His atoning work. Believe in Him and what HE did for us – HE DID IT ALL and it was finished on the cross!
By W. G. Guy
Every year, at this appointed time, the God ordained Day of Atonement is to be celebrated by Israel. God ordained specific Holy Days (holidays) for Israel to observe because each of those days is a prophetic representation of what Jesus Christ came to do and provided for all of mankind. This day is called Yom Kippur by the Jews, and this year is celebrated on October 4th. Although this is just one of God’s Holy Days, they are all mostly ignored by the church which supposes that these celebrations are only for Israel.
What is terrible to acknowledge is that churches will celebrate Satan’s special day of celebration, called Halloween, but they ignore all of God’s seven Holy Days. The church needs to repent of rejecting what God ordained. But let’s get into the subject of atonement as it is a special acknowledgement of what God provided for mankind that Jesus did in His atoning sacrifice.
Atonement means: purge, to cover over, to pardon, and to redeem from sin. I’m not going to discuss all that God required of Israel to do in this celebration; but it all represents what was fulfilled in Jesus Christ at the time of His Passion: His humiliation, scourging and crucifixion. What is significant to recognize is just what it is that Jesus did for all of mankind in His atoning work.
Isaiah 53:4-6 – Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Contrary to what many churches believe and understand, the atonement of Jesus provided for the total redemption of man: this includes man’s body, soul (mind) and spirit. The proof of this total redemption is found in the prophetic scripture listed above.
First we need to recognize that it was God, our Heavenly Father, who initiated this work for Jesus to accomplish: we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. The wounds Jesus endured on the cross cause His blood to be shed that was the sin offering for all of our own sins (iniquities). This provided redemption from sin that corrupts our own human spirit, separating us from a positive relationship with God.
Then this atoning work also provided for the soul, (the mind and personality), of every person to be at peace and rest from fear, worry, doubt and all the mental oppression that the world and Satan causes. This is because, the chastisement of our peace was upon him.
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Next is the part of the atonement that many evangelical Christians have not accepted; that is the physical healing that is in the atonement: and with his stripes we are healed. Jesus provided for our physical healing even before He was mounted upon the cross. The Roman soldiers beat him with their unique whips that were composed of leather strips that had jagged pieces of bone at the ends. These sharp pieces of bone would tear the back of the victim leaving stripes of open flesh following the beating.
Hebrew law required that when a person was to be beaten with a whip that they were not to experience more that “forty stripes”; so the practice in beating limited such to thirty-nine stripes so as to not exceed the limit. Medical science has categorized all sickness and diseases into thirty-nine categories. Jesus took upon Himself one stripe to cover each category of sickness, disease and physical malady.
1 Peter 2:24 – who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
The apostle Peter quoting from the prophet Isaiah acknowledges that healing is in the atonement and is made available to us throughout the New Testament. I personally know of preachers who refuse to believe that healing is in the atonement. Thus they deny all that Jesus suffered and experienced for us in His passion. Those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord need to acknowledge all that He provided for us in His atonement. Failure to do so means that you will not receive the full benefits of what our Heavenly Father has given to us through the atoning sacrifice of His beloved Son.
Romans 8:31-32 – What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
This is acknowledgment of what God provided through Jesus Christ. Unbelief in His divine provision is an offense to God and Christ – rejecting what He has provided. Such a person will suffer the consequences! If you don’t believe in healing, then how do you expect to be healed? How can you enter into what God has provided if you don’t believe in it.
Hebrews 3:12-19 – Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
(Note: patience is often needed as your faith is tested for its endurance – Colossians 1:11 and James 1:3-4.)
Conclusion: the atonement provided by Jesus Christ has given mankind total redemption of spirit, soul and body. All that God has provided for us is received by faith in Him, and His Word records all that He did for us in Jesus and His cross.
As the Day of Atonement approaches, please consider ALL that Jesus did for us; spirit, soul and body, in His atoning work. Believe in Him and what HE did for us – HE DID IT ALL and it was finished on the cross!
