Take a minute to think about the word atonement. I wish you could share your thoughts with me so we could discuss them before you read further. Instead, I will share what I found, and maybe we can discuss our thoughts later.

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The Hebrew word for atonement is kippur, which describes the decisive act by which sin or guilt is covered, removed, or purged so that the covenant relationship between God and His people is restored. The exact word atonement appears 79 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the Old Testament, with over half of the those in the books of Leviticus and Exodus, where the details of Yom Kippur (aka Day of Atonement), the altar, and priestly duties are written. I was very surprised to discover that the exact word atonement appears only ONCE in the entire New Testament of the KJV in Romans 5:11: “And not only that, but we shall also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received THE atonement.” (emphasis added). Could it be that there is little need for the word in the New Testament since Jesus’ once-for-all atoning act of death and resurrection was THE decisive act?  

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Hebrews 13:20-21 reminds us of Jesus’ atoning act:

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‍²⁰Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (NIV).

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Now, to divulge why I became intrigued with atonement: I found a new way to look at the word atonement – “at-one-ment” – which literally means to bring two separated parties back into unity! What a beautiful description of what Jesus did for us! Before Jesus, sin was always in the way of a relationship with Father God, but Jesus’ “at-one-ment” brought us back into unity! The verses above also remind us that God is the God of peace, and that He will equip us to do His will. He desires an ever-growing relationship with us! Jesus’ “at-one-ment” gives us eternal life and relationship with God through faith in Jesus! Believers are now being sanctified in a lifelong process of becoming more holy and Christ-like.  

After 13 weeks of studying Hebrews, I have learned much about the Hebrew people and can sympathize with their drifting. My humanness can interfere with faith, just like theirs did! They wanted to return to the old, known ways. After generations under the law and “seeing” the sacrifices, it would be easy to drift because they were human. It is easier to walk by sight than by faith! Actually “seeing” the blood of an innocent animal sacrificed for sins could feel more like atonement. They had Jesus in their hearts, but He wasn’t tangible. Now the Hebrews needed to believe in the unseen! They needed to be connected to God through prayer, let the Spirit guide them, and let Jesus intercede for them. It is a challenge when we cannot “see” the next step in front of us. They “saw” the blood sacrifices and knew that they had temporary forgiveness until they next sinned. It is hard to walk by faith and hope that are often unseen. It is hard to believe that the spiritual realm is just as real as the physical realm, but the spiritual realm is REAL!  God is ALWAYS with us even though we cannot “see” Him.

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We know that struggles and difficulties can come between us and our relationship with God just like it did with the Hebrew people! Life’s struggles can lead to sin and guilt. Does our sin and guilt cause us to put effort into works to try to make us right with God? Could these efforts to cover our sins be the modern-day version of the Old Testament’s sacrificial system to cover sins? Do we replace animal blood with efforts? Do we think that Father God sees our sins?

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He does NOT see our sins! Jesus’ blood covers them! Do not let guilt and sin cause you to drift and interfere with your relationship with God! Ask for forgiveness and move forward. Let Him sanctify and equip you now. Jesus’ act of “at-one-ment” covered ALL the sins of ALL believers with His once-for-all blood sacrifice and brought us back into unity with Father God FOREVER!

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When we feel that unity and are close to God, our faith is strengthened, and we are less prone to drift. If you are drifting, JUMP in that boat and row towards Him!