(Continued-Chapter XII-The Atonement)

1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; 3 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 having become by so much better than the angles, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time,
Thou art my son,
This day have I begotten thee? and again,
I will be to him a Father,
And he shall be to me Son?
6 And when he again bringeth in the first born into the world he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith,
Who maketh his angel winds,
And his ministers a flame of fire:
8 But of the Son he saith,
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever;
And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
Therefore God , thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
10 And,
Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of thy hands:
11 They shall perish; but thou continuest:
And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12 And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up,
As a garment, and thy shall be changed:
But thou art the same,
And thy years shall not fail.
13 But of which of the angles hath he said at any time,
Sit thou on my right hand,
Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?
14 Are thy not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:1-14).

5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped. 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:5-11).

On this point Dr. A. H., Strong, in his Systematic Theology, gives us this comment: "The attributes and powers of both natures are ascribed to the one Christ, and conversely, the works and dignities of the one Christ are ascribed to either of the natures, in away inexplicable, except upon the principle that these two natures are organically and indissolubly united in a single person (examples of the former usage are Rom. 1:3 and I Pet. 3:18; of the latter I Tim. 2:5 and Heb. 1:2,3)."

On the other hand, the dignities and the work of mediation between God and man are attributed to the human nature of Christ Jesus in I Timothy 2:5. But in Hebrews 1:3 these very things are ascribed to His divine nature. As another illustration of this principle I wish to call attention to John 8:58: "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am." The man Christ Jesus who was born and lived in the first century of the present era declared that He was before Abraham, who lived in the days of Hammurabi of Babylon, approximately two thousand years before Jesus was born. Nevertheless our Lord, the man Christ Jesus, spoke of His being in existence at that time. This language reveals a unity--an indissoluble union between the divine nature (which was not only in existence in the days of Abraham but throughout all eternity of the past) and the human spirit of the man Jesus of Nazareth.

What is the true explanation of the phenomenon which we meet throughout the Scriptures regarding this unity of the personality of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? A clue to the proper interpretation seems to appear in the language of Gabriel to Mary. In Luke 1:30-33 is the record of his announcement concerning her being honored with becoming the mother of our Lord. In reply she asked Gabriel how this prediction could be fulfilled since she knew no man. His response was: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The expression, "the holy thing which is begotten," seems to indicate that the child thus begotten is, not impersonal, but un-personal--does not come to consciousness in the ordinary way. Notwithstanding the uniqueness of this one, He shall be called and recognized as "the Son of God." This statement has led certain theologians to conclude that the child thus begotten by the Holy Spirit came to consciousness only in union with the divine nature. This explanation, it seems to me, is the only one that is adequate and that will harmonize all the data bearing on the subject. With this understanding we can see how Jesus could say that before Abraham was He existed.

Our Lord was thoroughly human--in all that the word indicates--but apart from sin. At the same time He was God--in the fullest sense of that term. There was a union between the divine nature and the human spirit in such a way and at such a time as to allow of only one consciousness. In other words, He was not God and man but was the God-man. The union of the divine with the human in the manner just explained constituted Him the spiritual head of the new race--the company of regenerated, born-again saved people. This truth is set forth in I Corinthians 15:45: "So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." Adam, who was created became a living soul; the last Adam, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, became a life-giving spirit. Adam was the source and beginning of the human family, for all men upon the earth today have descended from him as we have already seen in Chapter VIII. The man, Christ Jesus--the God-man--became a life giving Spirit. This statement cannot be said with reference to the divine nature, because it has been the same and will continue to remain the same forever. Neither can this language refer simply to the human side of Christ's life, because that could not of itself impart life. But by the union of the divine and the human, as just explained, Jesus the God-man became the life-giving spirit. He communicates His own spiritual life to those who accept Him as Lord and Saviour.

Isaiah doubtless had this thought in mind when he declared that the Messiah would be called "the everlasting Father" (Isa. 9:6). In Revelation 22:16 Jesus speaks of Himself not simply as the offspring of David, which statement is true, but also as the root of David--the one from whom David derived his life. The Apostle John reports Jesus as saying that He, the Son, gives life to whom He will (John 5:21). In the parable of the vine and the branches, Christ claims that He is the vine and that the branches, His disciples, derive their life from Him. Those who accept Him as their atonement and their Saviour come into vital touch with Him, and He imparts His life to them.

It is not enough for us to have and intellectual understanding of these great and marvelous truths concerning Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the God-man. He offers life to one and all. We, as lost sinners, must come to Him in simple trust, accept Him as our Saviour and Redeemer, and allow Him to give us that life.

Some theologians confine the atonement to the death of Christ on the cross; others include in it the resurrection; while others conceive of it as embracing also the resurrection and Christ's mediatorial work in heaven at the present time. Since He is to be a priest as well as a king upon His throne (Zech. 6:12-14) during the great Kingdom Age, still others might include in it His ministry of this future time. One's use of the term is determined by one's particular perspective in a given case. Since in this treatise, I have approached the subject from the standpoint of the Levitical sacrifices--especially the ritual of the Day of Atonement--I have included in this term the death of Christ, His resurrection, His ascension, and His present intercessory ministry in the heavenly sanctuary during the present age, which culminates with Israel's accepting Him at the close of the Tribulation--"the time of Jacob's& trouble"-- and His completely fulfilling the reconciliation foreshadowed by the ritualism of the Day of Atonement.

As I already stated, there are various theories regarding the atonement, each being built upon some one phase of the truth, without due regard to all the elements entering therein. Because of limited space, I shall be unable to enter into a discussion of these different explanations, but shall examine only the various elements entering into it and allow the reader to form his own theory--if he wishes to do so.

According to Isaiah 53:10 Jehovah the Father was pleased to bruise King Messiah and to put Him to grief. His execution, according to this statement, was conceived in the heart of God Almighty. According to the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost Jesus of Nazareth was: a man approved of God unto you [the Jewish nation] by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay …" (Acts 2:22,23). From this statement we learn that God the Father was the one who predetermined the crucifixion of Christ. Truly we have been redeemed "with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ: who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world … (I Peter 1:19,20).

Though Jehovah the Father determined the execution of Messiah, Israel was the human agent who was to carry out the divine decree. As we have seen in Isaiah, chapter 53, Messiah is rejected by the entire nation--with the exception of a small minority who knew the Scriptures and recognized Jesus as the true Messiah. The mode of execution is set forth in Psalm 22:1-21. That Israel as a nation was the divinely chosen agent to carry out this decree was clearly foreshadowed by the ritual concerning the sacrifices. We have already seen in the discussion of this subject that the worshipper brought his sacrifice--an animal without blemish--to the appointed place, laid his hands upon the victim, and then slew it. Such was the ritual for the offerings made by the individual. But on the Day of Atonement--Yom Kippur--Israel presented the two he-goats for the sin offering. The high priest received these and slew the one upon whom the lot fell "for Jehovah" and with this blood made atonement for the sins of the nation. This part of the ritualism, as all other details of the ceremony, is laden with deep significance. The high priest--as the representative and head of the priestly tribe--slew the sacrifice. His doing this as the representative of the nation was typical and signified the fact that the nation of Israel--"a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:5,6)--would offer up Messiah as "the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" in fulfillment of Isaiah, chapter 53.

The leaders in the rejection of Messiah acted in ignorance. They considered Jesus of Nazareth as an impostor who was attempting to lead the nation astray. As He hung upon the cross, He prayed in their behalf saying, "Father forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

To an audience in Jerusalem the Apostle Peter declared, "And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance ye did it [the execution of the Messiah], as did also your rulers" (Acts 3:17). Paul likewise in Antioch of Pisidia affirmed the same thing: "For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him" (Acts 13:27). From these scriptures we see that many who called for the execution of the Messiah did it ignorantly and indeed were sincere. Of course there were some hypocrites among them as is the case in any large group of people.

According to Acts 2:23, the Jewish leaders--Sanhedrin--in executing King Messiah, simply carried out the divine decree by the hands of lawless men--men without the law of Moses, the Romans.

But one's ignorance is no excuse. God had foreshown that His Messiah was thus to be executed. The leaders of Israel were to blame in not recognizing him and in not knowing the Scriptures which were read every Sabbath. God generally uses men and means to carry out His divine plans. He thus used the Assyrian to punish Judah for her sins (Isa. 10:5-12). After He had used this wicked aggressor, the Lord punished him for his own individual sins and his ill-treatment of the Jews. Thus he does with every individual.

Since the execution of Messiah was ordained of God to make atonement for man's sins and since the leaders of Israel of the first century, as we shall see, simply carried out the divine decree in ignorance, we Christians today should learn all the facts and should present them in a kindly spirit of helpfulness and love toward the Hebrew people and should not dub them as "Christ killers" for by so doing we engender anti-Semitism, do a grave injustice to our Lord's brethren according to the flesh, and hinder the progress of the truth.

1. The Death of Christ

The keynote of the doctrine of atonement was sounded by John the Baptist in these memorable words: "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). Christ as the Lamb of God--the great Sin-bearer of the world--is the central doctrine of all Scripture. A failure to see this point is to throw all other doctrines more or less out of focus. Let us therefore seek the biblical teaching on this subject.

In the first place, let us note what our Lord said in regard to His death. In admonishing His disciples to serve one another rather than to seek prominence among men, He declared, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." A ransom is that which is paid for the release of a captive. Because of this fundamental conception in the Word, the early Greek church fathers asserted that Christ paid a given ransom to Satan for the release of the children of God. In reply to this extreme position, let me say that in a comparison usually there is only one point of contact. To try to make an illustration fit in all points is disastrous. This theory ignores the fact that God is sovereign and that Satan can do nothing except at the permission of the Almighty. These facts we have already learned from other passages of the Word. In the light of these truths, it is illogical to assert that Christ paid a ransom to Satan. Since by his death those who accept His atonement are freed and liberated, we must not read any more into this comparison than that. Thus from this one statement we see that man's liberation was to be accomplished, according to our Lord by His giving His life for "the many."

When He instituted the Supper, the Lord Jesus "took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins" (Matt. 26:26-28). From this passage we see that the remission of man's sins and his salvation are tied up with Christ's pouring out His blood in His death. There can be no escape from this conclusion. In giving the commission to the disciples as recorded by Luke, Jesus said, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem" (Luke 24:46,47). From this quotation we can see that the proclamation of repentance and remission of sins in the name of Christ is tied up with His suffering and His rising from the dead the third day. In every utterance of our Lord concerning His death in its relation to the salvation of men, He presented these doctrines as cause and effect.

Let us now notice how the inspired Apostle Peter connected the salvation of men with the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. In Acts 2 we find the first gospel sermon preached after the resurrection of Christ. As he addressed his audience, the apostle declared:

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; 23 him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay: 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25 For David saith concerning him,
I beheld the Lord always before my face;
For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul unto Hades,
Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption.
28 Thou madest known unto me the ways of life;
Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance.
29 Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins he would set one upon his throne; 31 he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. 34 For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself,
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? 38 And Peter said unto them, Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. 40 And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. 41 They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. 46 And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart. 47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved (Acts 2:22-47).

I wish the reader to ponder thoughtfully every sentence of this marvelous sermon, but I can only take time to call attention to the apostle's statement that Jesus of Nazareth was a "man approved of God unto you [the Jewish nation] by mighty works and wonders and signs" which He performed. At the baptism of Jesus God spoke out of heaven, "This is by beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). Again, at the Transfiguration the Almighty declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matt. 17:5). In addition to this direct testimony from heaven, there were numerous other ways in which God showed His approval of Jesus. His many miracles, His sinless life and conduct together with His attitude and outlook at all times bear unimpeachable proof of His deity. Notwithstanding the divine credentials which He presented to His brethren, they rejected Him, delivering Him to the Roman authorities to be executed. Nevertheless, the apostle declared that He was "delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God." In the Jews rejection of Christ and their delivering Him to the Romans to be put to death, they were simply carrying out that which God had foreordained should be. Frequently men carry out unconsciously that which God has determined shall be done. Of course they are held responsible for their deeds; nevertheless, the Lord by His omniscience and omnipotence makes their evil actions contribute to the advancement of His cause. Though Christ, declared the apostle, was delivered up to death, it was not possible for Him to remain in that condition; for God had, through David, foretold that He should be raised from the dead. After His resurrection Jesus appeared ten times to different ones of His disciples. On the fifth occasion He manifested Himself to above five hundred brethren at once (I Cor. 15:1-8). When He came to certain ones, they personally heard His voice, with which they were familiar, they scrutinized Him with their penetrating vision, and actually handled His body with their hands. Having the testimony of three of their five senses, they could not be mistaken.

1 That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life 2 (and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested unto us); 3 that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ: 4 and these things we write, that our joy may be made full (I John 1:1-4).

The early disciples knowing absolutely that He had arisen from the dead gave up their lives rather than renounce their faith in Him as the Messiah and Redeemer of the world.

Anticipating an objector who might demand that he bring the risen Lord forth in order that all might see Him with their own eyes, the apostle declared that after His resurrection He had been seen by chosen witnesses and that He had accepted an invitation from the Almighty, in fulfillment of Psalm, 110, to sit at His right hand. The risen Lord, he declared, was at that time seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high and was the one who had sent the Holy Spirit to perform the miracle which they were beholding. He then assured them that God had made that same Jesus "both Lord and Christ [Messiah]." Upon learning this fact, many Hebrews cried out, "Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy spirit." Notice that in this statement Peter connected the remission of sins with the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, who had been delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God to pour out His blood for the remission of sins. It becomes immediately apparent that the forgiveness of sins has been made possible by the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the second recorded sermon, found in Acts 3, the same apostle identified Jesus Christ as the Servant of Jehovah of whom Isaiah spoke;

13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. 14 But ye denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you 15 and killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name hath his name made this man strong whom ye behold and know: yea, the faith which is through him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all (Acts 3:13-16).

The Servant of Isaiah, chapter 53, is none other than the Messiah, who makes His soul an offering for the sins of many. Since Peter's language on this occasion is an undoubted echo of this prediction, obviously the apostle identified Jesus as the one of whom Isaiah spoke:

Turning to I Peter 1:17-21, we shall examine the following statement:

17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear: 18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers; 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ: 20 who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of the times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Here the same apostle affirmed that the believing Hebrews, to whom he wrote this letter, had been redeemed not by material wealth but by "precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ." In substance, He affirmed that Christ in His suffering was the fulfillment of the sacrifices offered under the law and that it was His blood by which atonement was actually made for their sins.

He again presented Christ and His sacrificial death as that which procures our redemption by virtue of His bearing our sins upon the tree of the cross.

21 For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed (I Pet. 2:21-24).

Note especially verse 24. In speaking of Christ, the writer affirmed that it was He "who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness …" The idea of Christ's bearing our sins, as expressed in this passage, is an echo of a regulation of the Mosaic Code. For instance, we find the following statement in Numbers 14:32: "After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my alienation." Moses informed Israel that she would have to bear her iniquities, that is, to suffer the penalty for her iniquities. In this case they had disbelieved God and had refused to obey Him. The penalty for this flagrant disloyalty was their remaining in the wilderness for forty years and enduring untold hardships. From time to time strokes of judgment fell upon them because of their wickedness. Another instance of language similar to this is Leviticus 5:17: "And if any one sin, and do any of the things which Jehovah hath commanded not to be done; though he knew it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity." The one guilty of a wrong, though he was unconscious of it, had to bear his iniquity; that is had to endure the punishment due for infraction of the broken law.

We see another illustration of this language in Exodus, chapter 28.

"And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats … and they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they go in unto the tent of meeting, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that, they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and unto his seed after him" (Ex. 28:40-43).

From the context we learn that God gave instructions to Moses regarding the clothing which Aaron and his sons should wear during their ministrations at the sanctuary. They were to be attired in the prescribed garments "that they bear not iniquity and die." In this instance we see that, if they failed to wear the proper clothing, they would be punished with death and in so doing would be bearing their iniquity. These examples suffice to show the significance of bearing sin or iniquity. When Peter, who was thoroughly acquainted with the ritual of the temple service, spoke of our Lord's bearing our sins in His body upon the tree, he was thinking in terms of the Mosaic legislation. This language therefore declares that in our Lord's going to the cross He bore the penalty for our sins. When all the facts are seen it is absolutely certain that this language can indicate nothing other than our Lord's vicarious suffering for humanity.

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