And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
From the fall of man to the birth of Jesus, there was no man that was worthy to die for another, for all had sinned. Even the newborn child is a sinner, not by virtue of the acts of sin committed, but by nature. David said that he was shaped in iniquity and was conceived in sin (Psalm 51:4-8). Adam sinned and everyone that is born after the natural order is a sinner. But Jesus was not born after this order. Although he had the natural framework as a man, the life in Him was not the life of man because He didn’t come from the seed of Joseph as it was not Joseph that impregnated Mary. The seed that impregnate Mary to form Jesus in her womb was from God, from heaven. So, the life that Jesus carried was the very life of God (Romans 6:23; Luke 1:34-35; 1 Peter 1:23). Jesus was God in man and as such, one cannot call the blood of Jesus the blood of man because blood comes from life; for the life of the flesh is in the blood. So, when Jesus died and shed His blood on the cross, the blood of Jesus that was shed contained the life of God Himself, superior to and greater than the natural human life. So, it was too good, as it had too much credibility to atone for the sins of men. Jesus’ substitutionary work at Calvary was a show of God’s benevolence in paying for our sins over and above our shortcomings.
Atonement is forgiveness, reconciliation, reparation or expiation; it is the process of securing reconciliation between two persons. Regarding man and God, atonement is reconciliation between them on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ in His death. Before Jesus came into the world, the atonement that they had in the Old Testament was just a blanket to cover their sins. The sins were still there. Sin could not be atoned for effectively under the law. But when Jesus came, He died and when He died, He shed His blood and that blood that He shed contained His life (Hebrews 10:6-7, Psalms 40:7, Leviticus 17:11). Jesus shed His divine life to atone for our souls, for it is the blood that atones for souls. Then He purged us from our sins and that is why God can look at you and say that you are justified. What does it mean to be justified? It is to receive forgiveness of sins, atonement/remission of sins, righteousness and new creation (Romans 4:7-8, Psalms 32:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:17). All these are embedded in this one package called justification that you have received in Christ. You are a brand-new man in whose spirit there is no guile. Say to yourself: “the man who sinned died with Christ on the cross, the man that now is, is a brand-new man in Christ.” Hallelujah!!!
My Solid Front (Confession):
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the atonement provided for me through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the Cross and through His shed blood. I hereby declare that I have been reconciled to God and my sins are forgiven already and that guilt and condemnation are no more. Thank You Father in Jesus’ Name! Amen!
Further Meditation:
2 Corinthians 5:17-19; Romans 4:7-8.