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The Biblical atonement
A. In the Old Testament, atonement
was usually given through the sacrifice of an animal (ex. Exodus
30:10, Leviticus 1:3-5, 4:20-21, 16:6-22).
B. In the New Testament, the
concept of the sacrifice of atonement of the Old Testament was basically
maintained, but the redemption of all humankind could be fulfilled
only by offering the body of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Apostle
Paul said Jesus Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3).
The word atonement was not only used
to refer to the death of Christ to expiate original sin, but to
take away all the sins of all human beings. After the baptism through
which the sins of the world were passed onto Jesus (Matthew 3:15),
He saved humankind by bleeding on the Cross (Leviticus 1:1-5, John
19:30).
The Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians
5:14 that 'One died for all,' then, in the following verse
21, he stated it was 'for us,' and again in Galatians 3:13,
'having become a curse for us.' Only a few verses in the New
Testament refer to Jesus as the Sacrifice (ex. Ephesians 5:2): John
1:29, 36 ('Lamb'-John the Baptist) and 1 Corinthians 5:7 ('our Passover'-the
Apostle Paul).
However, Paul specified that the baptism
of Jesus in the Jordan was the atonement for all the sins of the
world. He explains in Romans 6 that all the sins of the world were
passed onto Jesus through His baptism by John the Baptist.
He goes on to explain that the crucifixion
of Jesus was the judgment and compensation for sin, and that the
sacrifice of atonement was offered for the souls of all people.
The death of Jesus was the realization
of God's plan, implied in the sacrifice of atonement in the Old
Testament. The laying on of hands in the Old Testament and the baptism
of Jesus in the New Testament are in accordance with the Law of
God (Isaiah 53:10, Matthew 3:13-17, Hebrews 7:1-10, 18, 1 Peter
3:21).
The New Testament does not end with
the baptism and the death of Jesus, but goes on to tell us that
the fulfillment of salvation is our being baptized into Christ,
which enables our old selves to die with Him (Romans 6:3-7, Galatians
2:19-20).
It tells us that John the Baptist baptized
Jesus Christ to take away all the sins of the world and that as
a result, He was crucified. Jesus Christ, through His baptism and
blood, not only washed away the sins of the world, but also saved
us from the power of Satan and returned us to the power of God by
accepting punishment and enduring the pain in the place of mankind.
Therefore, the redemption of Jesus
solved the problem of sin that was blocking people from being close
to God. This momentous event restored peace and harmony between
people and God, bringing salvation, joy (Romans 5:11), life (Romans
5:17-18), and redemption (Matthew 3:15, John 1:29, Hebrews 10:1-20,
Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14) at the same time.
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