“Paul
states in Romans 5:11not only so, but we also joy in God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.’ In
what sense did Christ atone for our sins?”
This
passage is one of many in our English translation of the Scriptures
where it is necessary to consult the original language to ensure we have
the proper sense of what the apostle was seeking to convey. When we do
so, we find that the Greek word katallage or “reconciliation” is used.
It is understandable that the KJV translators used the term atonement
because in their day the term meant “agreement, concord, or
reconciliation after enmity or controversy.”
For
the sake of clarification, in contemporary language the word atonement
obscures the meaning of the passage. The emphasis of Paul’s special
revelation here is on reconciliation, not atonement, as confirmed by the
Greek text. The Hebrew word kaphar, translated “atonement” in the Old
Testament meant “to cover.” Hence, the blood of bulls and goats
merely covered the sins of those in Old Testament times; it didn’t
have the efficacy to remove them.
“And
every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the
same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb. 10:11).
Through
the forbearance of God those sins that were atoned for in time past are
now removed on the basis of the shed blood of Christ (Rom. 3:25).
Today, Paul teaches us that we are freely justified and forgiven by the
blood of Christ: “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5:9). In other words, the
blood of Christ doesn’t atone for our sins, it actually cleanses
them forevermore.
In
the context of the above passage, the apostle was instructing the
Romans that it is a source of joy to know that we are at peace with God
(Rom. 5:1), seeing that we have accepted His gracious offer of
reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18). The subject of Romans 5:11 is
reconciliation, not atonement.
"The Rapture of the Church"
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment