October 16th, 2025
by Stacy Long
by Stacy Long
The Misunderstood Meaning of Atonement
When we hear the word "atonement," what comes to mind? For many, it conjures images of sacrifice, payment for sins, or substitutionary death. But what if our understanding of atonement, particularly in the context of Old Testament sacrifices, has been largely misinterpreted?
Let's embark on a journey to uncover the true essence of atonement in biblical context, and how it applies to our lives today.
The Hebrew word for atonement, "kafar," is related to the concept of covering or protection. It's used in Genesis 6:14 when God instructs Noah to "cover" (kafar) the ark with pitch. This gives us our first clue that atonement might be more about covering and protecting than about punishment or payment.
Interestingly, atonement doesn't always involve death or sacrifice. In Genesis 32:30, Jacob attempts to "make atonement" with his brother Esau by sending gifts ahead of him. In Exodus 32:30, Moses seeks to "make atonement" for Israel's sin of the golden calf through conversation with God, not sacrifice. Proverbs 16:6 even states that "by steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for."
These examples challenge our preconceived notions about atonement. They suggest that atonement is more about restoring relationships, cleansing, and bringing things back to their proper state than about punishment or substitutionary death.
In the sacrificial system detailed in Leviticus, we find more surprises. The blood of sacrificed animals was never applied to the person offering the sacrifice. Instead, it was applied to various parts of the tabernacle or temple. Why? Because the concept at work here is not about personal cleansing through blood, but about decontaminating God's sacred space from the effects of sin and death.
Sin, in the Old Testament worldview, was seen as a force that could contaminate not just the sinner, but the very dwelling place of God. The sacrificial system was designed to cleanse this contamination, pushing back the forces of death and maintaining God's presence among His people.
This understanding sheds new light on Jesus' mission. When John the Baptist declared Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," he wasn't referring to a guilt offering, but to a peace offering. Jesus came not just to die as a substitute, but to be a source of contagious life and holiness that pushes back all forms of death and darkness.
In the New Testament, we see Jesus healing those touched by forces of death - a woman with a flow of blood, lepers, even raising the dead. These weren't random acts of kindness, but demonstrations of His power as the ultimate source of life, overcoming all forms of death and uncleanness.
So what does this mean for us today? It means that sin is not just a personal matter between us and God. Our attitudes, our character, our very spirits carry a power that affects the atmosphere around us. Just as courage, faith, hope, and love are infectious, so too are bitterness, fear, and unbelief.
The call of Leviticus, echoed throughout the Bible, is not just to believe in Jesus and wait for everything to be made right in the end. It's a call to actively participate in pushing back the forces of death in our world. It's a call to "clean up our mess" - to make things right in our relationships, to spread righteousness and holiness instead of darkness.
This understanding gives new urgency to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 5, where he urgently calls the church to remove an unrepentant sinner from their midst, warning that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Sin, like leaven, spreads and affects the entire community.
But the good news is that we carry within us the ultimate force of life that overcomes every force of death. We have authority over unclean spirits, over Satan himself, because we carry the life that created and sustains the entire universe.
This is a radically different gospel than the one many of us have heard. It's not just about believing a set of facts and waiting for God to make everything right in the end. It's about actively participating in making earth like heaven, here and now.
It challenges us to live differently. To clean up our relational messes. To keep them clean. To remember that we carry a power greater than any force of darkness in this world.
Imagine if we truly lived this way. If we understood that our actions, our attitudes, our very being carries a contagious power. If we saw ourselves not just as forgiven sinners, but as carriers of divine life, tasked with spreading that life to a world infected by death.
This understanding of atonement and sacrifice doesn't diminish the work of Christ - it magnifies it. It shows us that Jesus didn't just die to forgive our sins, but to empower us to overcome the forces of death in our world.
As we reflect on this, let's challenge ourselves to live differently. To be more aware of the "atmosphere" we create around us. To actively work to restore relationships, to spread life instead of death, to push back darkness wherever we find it.
Let's remember that we carry within us a power greater than any force of evil in this world. We are not helpless in the face of sin and death - we are carriers of the very life of God.
This is the true meaning of atonement. Not just covering, not just forgiveness, but restoration. Bringing life where there was death. Making things as they should be.
In a world that often feels overcome by darkness, this is a message of hope. We are not just waiting for God to make things right - we are His agents of restoration right now. Let's live like it.
(This blog post was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)
When we hear the word "atonement," what comes to mind? For many, it conjures images of sacrifice, payment for sins, or substitutionary death. But what if our understanding of atonement, particularly in the context of Old Testament sacrifices, has been largely misinterpreted?
Let's embark on a journey to uncover the true essence of atonement in biblical context, and how it applies to our lives today.
The Hebrew word for atonement, "kafar," is related to the concept of covering or protection. It's used in Genesis 6:14 when God instructs Noah to "cover" (kafar) the ark with pitch. This gives us our first clue that atonement might be more about covering and protecting than about punishment or payment.
Interestingly, atonement doesn't always involve death or sacrifice. In Genesis 32:30, Jacob attempts to "make atonement" with his brother Esau by sending gifts ahead of him. In Exodus 32:30, Moses seeks to "make atonement" for Israel's sin of the golden calf through conversation with God, not sacrifice. Proverbs 16:6 even states that "by steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for."
These examples challenge our preconceived notions about atonement. They suggest that atonement is more about restoring relationships, cleansing, and bringing things back to their proper state than about punishment or substitutionary death.
In the sacrificial system detailed in Leviticus, we find more surprises. The blood of sacrificed animals was never applied to the person offering the sacrifice. Instead, it was applied to various parts of the tabernacle or temple. Why? Because the concept at work here is not about personal cleansing through blood, but about decontaminating God's sacred space from the effects of sin and death.
Sin, in the Old Testament worldview, was seen as a force that could contaminate not just the sinner, but the very dwelling place of God. The sacrificial system was designed to cleanse this contamination, pushing back the forces of death and maintaining God's presence among His people.
This understanding sheds new light on Jesus' mission. When John the Baptist declared Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," he wasn't referring to a guilt offering, but to a peace offering. Jesus came not just to die as a substitute, but to be a source of contagious life and holiness that pushes back all forms of death and darkness.
In the New Testament, we see Jesus healing those touched by forces of death - a woman with a flow of blood, lepers, even raising the dead. These weren't random acts of kindness, but demonstrations of His power as the ultimate source of life, overcoming all forms of death and uncleanness.
So what does this mean for us today? It means that sin is not just a personal matter between us and God. Our attitudes, our character, our very spirits carry a power that affects the atmosphere around us. Just as courage, faith, hope, and love are infectious, so too are bitterness, fear, and unbelief.
The call of Leviticus, echoed throughout the Bible, is not just to believe in Jesus and wait for everything to be made right in the end. It's a call to actively participate in pushing back the forces of death in our world. It's a call to "clean up our mess" - to make things right in our relationships, to spread righteousness and holiness instead of darkness.
This understanding gives new urgency to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 5, where he urgently calls the church to remove an unrepentant sinner from their midst, warning that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." Sin, like leaven, spreads and affects the entire community.
But the good news is that we carry within us the ultimate force of life that overcomes every force of death. We have authority over unclean spirits, over Satan himself, because we carry the life that created and sustains the entire universe.
This is a radically different gospel than the one many of us have heard. It's not just about believing a set of facts and waiting for God to make everything right in the end. It's about actively participating in making earth like heaven, here and now.
It challenges us to live differently. To clean up our relational messes. To keep them clean. To remember that we carry a power greater than any force of darkness in this world.
Imagine if we truly lived this way. If we understood that our actions, our attitudes, our very being carries a contagious power. If we saw ourselves not just as forgiven sinners, but as carriers of divine life, tasked with spreading that life to a world infected by death.
This understanding of atonement and sacrifice doesn't diminish the work of Christ - it magnifies it. It shows us that Jesus didn't just die to forgive our sins, but to empower us to overcome the forces of death in our world.
As we reflect on this, let's challenge ourselves to live differently. To be more aware of the "atmosphere" we create around us. To actively work to restore relationships, to spread life instead of death, to push back darkness wherever we find it.
Let's remember that we carry within us a power greater than any force of evil in this world. We are not helpless in the face of sin and death - we are carriers of the very life of God.
This is the true meaning of atonement. Not just covering, not just forgiveness, but restoration. Bringing life where there was death. Making things as they should be.
In a world that often feels overcome by darkness, this is a message of hope. We are not just waiting for God to make things right - we are His agents of restoration right now. Let's live like it.
(This blog post was created from Stacy Long's original sermon using pulpit.ai)
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