Beyond Atonement
I was 19 and facing a spiritual crossroads. God was pushing me to take a leap of faith, but fear held me back. I knew instinctively that whatever I chose would affect the course of my life and my walk with God. Would I choose my own will, which would yield stagnant security, or God’s will, which looked risky but promised spiritual growth?
I wrestled with the decision for weeks. Finally, my fear won. “I know what You want me to do,” I prayed. “But I won’t do it. If You want me to obey, You’ll have to change my heart.”
I did not receive the harsh response I deserved. Instead, within 24 hours of my stubborn prayer, God had worked a 180 in my heart. I took the leap of faith, embarking on a path that has been richer than anything I could have chosen if God had left me to myself.
Seeking Clean Hearts on Yom Kippur
While the temple still stood, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) was the day when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to atone for Israel’s sins through blood sacrifice. This yearly sacrifice was temporary, “for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Jesus procured permanent atonement with His own blood, annulling the sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:10). As the church grew in the aftermath of Messiah’s resurrection, the majority of Jewish people continued to sacrifice at the temple until its destruction in AD 70.
Since then, Yom Kippur observance has evolved into a day of prayer, repentance, and acts of charity.[1] According to myjewishlearning.com, Yom Kippur “revolves around the theme of communal repentance for sins committed during the past year, in order that both the community and the individual be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year.”[2]
A New System
Yom Kippur is about starting the year with a clean slate, but the problem with slates is they don’t stay clean. By the time the next Day of Atonement arrives, the slate is once again covered in a record of wrongs that needs to be wiped away, year after year after year.
This is the cycle God allowed for Israel over thousands of years, but the Messiah’s coming replaced this system with something better.
In the days of [Messiah’s] humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him, being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:7–10)
Jesus’ blood did more than wipe the slate clean; He broke the slate! For those who believe, God no longer keeps a record of wrongs.
But Wait, There’s More!
Atonement is not a forgive-and-forget transaction. God doesn’t simply forgive our sins and then forget about us until we enter eternity. The atonement we receive through Messiah entails not just forgiveness, but also growth. Peter highlights this when he charges his correspondents to be “like newborn babies, long[ing] for the pure milk of the word, so that by it [they] may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2–3, emphasis mine).
Jesus’ sacrifice secured not only atonement, but also personal, ongoing transformation for those who believe. As we live in this world, Jesus walks with us and works in our hearts, molding us more into His likeness. No wonder Paul could write, “For to me, to live is [Messiah], and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)!
’Til Death Do Us Restore
Even though atonement wasn’t in my vocabulary as a five-year-old, it was what I wanted when I asked Jesus to “come into my heart.” Chiefly concerned about the afterlife, I didn’t understand that I was entering into a dynamic relationship with the living God. Only at 19, when I watched God change my posture from defiance to obedience, did I begin to grasp the implications of atonement in this life.
Paul describes the magnitude of salvation in his prayer for the Ephesian church:
I bend my knees before the Father…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that [Messiah] may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of [Messiah] which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19)
This is the reality of life in Messiah. Have you placed your faith in Him? A transformative relationship awaits you beyond atonement.
Written by Miriam, Life in Messiah Communications Coordinator
The Fall Feasts are an excellent opportunity to connect with your Jewish friends on a deeper level. This Yom Kippur, consider asking your Jewish friend or coworker questions about the nature of atonement. Demonstrating genuine interest through respectful questions can open the door to spiritual conversations.
How has your understanding of atonement and salvation developed over the years? How does this shape the way you communicate the gospel to others?
Have you received atonement through Messiah’s sacrifice? Contact us to learn what it means to be saved.