Realizing the Atonement’s Realness, Part 1 (Part 1 of 2)

Introduction: The Importance of Realizing the Atonement's Realness

The goal is to focus on the atonement of Jesus Christ—what he specifically accomplished, what it does, and what it is. Realizing the atonement's realness grants realization of salvation for the unbeliever and strengthening for the believer. The gospel and atonement are for the entirety of the Christian life, not just its initiation. We continue to derive benefits from it ongoing.

Did Jesus die to give an opportunity for salvation, or did he die to save? Jesus Christ cannot accomplish anything less than a 100% salvation success rate, or there is something wrong with Christ—not the unbeliever, whose deadness in sin prevents belief. To have too low a view of the atonement is to have too low a view of Jesus.

We will characterize our understanding from Scripture in three ways: the atonement is really personal, really powerful, and really perfect.

1. The Atonement Is Really Personal

The atonement is really personal—not that it personally atones for my sins in a general sense, but that Jesus substituted for you personally, receiving the wrath of God and just condemnation due to you. It continues in his personal intercession for you.

He sacrifices himself for you personally, then intercedes on the basis of that sacrifice, standing in the gap between you and God, changing the nature of your relationship. Both the reality of the atonement and your reality must exist for this to occur.

In the Old Testament, the high priest transferred the worshiper's sins to the animal, slew it, and took the blood into the Holy of Holies to intercede. Our High Priest does the same, only better, entering the true Holy of Holies.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Intercession cannot be separated from the sacrifice or the worshiper. Jesus substituted for you personally and intercedes for you personally. This foundational principle explains why Christians exist: Christ's accomplishment creates believers, who live in awe of it.

2. The Atonement Is Really Powerful

Memorize Romans 1:16, not just for its help in weakness, but for motivation to live and proclaim the gospel:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)

Paul was unashamed because the gospel is powerful to actually save—not merely potential. What did Jesus think the atonement would accomplish? The glory of God, through genuinely saving those he intended to save. This power existed prior to our existence or faith.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:10-11)

Reconciliation occurred while we were enemies—hostile, unregenerate. It is past (we were reconciled), present (we are reconciled), and future (we shall be saved). "Much more" means we rejoice because we will absolutely be saved—not by our performance, but Christ's powerful work. This kills sin, not encourages it, highlighting sin's heinousness.

Romans 5 begins:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

A personal and powerful atonement enables rejoicing in hope and sufferings. It produces endurance through trials—job loss, persecution, loss—because it genuinely accomplishes salvation. We can endure rejoicing, changing the heart, not circumstances.

3. The Atonement Is Really Perfect

The atonement keeps you permanently.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:31-35)

Unlike animal sacrifices, which could be nullified, Christ's is perfect and permanent. No sin or unbelief voids it. God is for us; he gave his Son, so he gives all things. No charge against God's elect; God justifies. Christ died, rose, and intercedes—naming you before the Father.

Romans 8:1 declares no condemnation for those in Christ. This flows from God's sovereignty in Romans 8:28-30:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

Every link—foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified—is past tense, as good as done in God's plan.

Active Foreknowledge and Predestination

He may somehow come close to His will as in Molinism or Middle Knowledge, but it is an action that He is actively doing. He is actively foreknowing you and on the basis of His intimate active foreknowledge of you, He is predestining you to be conformed to the image of His Son. In other words, for you, He predestined one of the most beneficial, advantageous, and glorious realities that you could ever experience—and that's to be like Jesus.

The True Meaning of Predestination

Notice what predestination is. It's not, as we suggested a moment ago, where somebody could say that the perfection of the atonement is my ability and my license to sin. To really be predestined means to really then subsequently live like Christ: be conformed to His image, to reflect Him, to display Him, to demonstrate Him, to have His reputation be far more exceedingly important than your reputation. To have people knowing about Him be far more important than they know about you. Certainly as Christians we should embrace the attitude of being the most insignificant people who have the most significant message.

It's a message of atonement:

Those whom He predestined He also called; those whom He called He also justified; those whom He justified He also glorified.

That's what leads the Apostle Paul into making some of these fantastic statements such as:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ?

Inseparable is your relationship with Jesus. I would challenge you to search through all of creation to find something worthy enough and capable enough to separate us from Christ if I didn't know beforehand that I'd be sending you on a wild goose chase. It doesn't exist.

The Endurance of the Christian

The endurance of the Christian is based upon the perfect work of Christ's atoning sacrifice. The ability to go from here to glory is because of Jesus. Jesus Christ did not die so that we can find the ability to endure life apart from His atoning sacrifice. The lifestyle of the Christian is one in which there is a constant realization of the realness of the atonement.

A Personal, Powerful, and Perfect Atonement

In realizing the atonement, it's beneficial to not embrace a version or an understanding of the atonement that says that somebody who is suffering in hell had the blood of Jesus Christ spilled upon Calvary's cross—that all it did was stain the land and not save the sinner for whom it was intended. Where did the payment go? If Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest, where does the payment go? We know where Jesus went—to the right hand of the Father. Where did the payment go?

Christ did not enter into the Holy of Holies with perfect sinless blood—there is no intercession, there is no salvation. But because He did, there is a personal atonement genuinely for you, a powerful atonement that genuinely saves, and a perfect atonement that genuinely sustains the believer.

The opportunities that I hope you will have this week and in the coming weeks to rejoice unto a hope that endures circumstances are found in the perfect work of a Savior who saves perfectly.