The
Person & Work of Christ
Atonement
is exactly described with the Hebrew word “kaphar,”
meaning “to cover.”[1] Theologically speaking,
the blood of Jesus Christ has covered the sins of mankind. By the will of God,
“we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10b). That Jesus Christ lived on the earth,
conducted ministry, was killed on a cross, arose from the dead, and went back
into the heavens (Lk. 2:7; Mk.1; Jn. 18, 19:17-37, 20:1-9; Acts 1:9-11), is
essential to the doctrine of humanity and of the atonement. Humans were created
by God for his good pleasure, but the entrance of sin necessitated “a
satisfaction.” This satisfaction could only be obtained by divine means, hence
the doctrine of soteriology – salvation through Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:13-15; Jn.
3:17). If the doctrine of humanity is understood in light of “what needed to be
done for, how it was done for and the ultimate destiny of humans,”[2] then the atonement
describes Christ’s work through the incarnation in satisfying the demands of a
holy, righteous and moral God for violations against his nature and for human liberation
from sin.
