Post by Jesse Morrell on May 1, 2008 15:25:18 GMT -5
Here is a list of Scriptures I've compiled about how the atonement is supposed to change us. The shedding of blood is supposed to have a profound impact upon our hearts and minds, to deeply and completely change our moral character, so that we change completely, making us at-one with God, instead of at-war with God.
The atonement changes man:
Matt. 1:21; Jn. 1:29; Acts 3:26; Rom. 2:4 (with Rom. 5:8); 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 5:25-27; Col 1:21-23; Titus 2:11-12, 14; Heb. 9:26; 10:10; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:7; 3:5; 4:19
Blood sacrifices are useless without moral change: Ps. 50:7-23; 51:16-17; Prov. 15:8; 16:6; 21:3; 21:27; Isa. 1:10-17; 56:6-7; 66:3-4; Jer. 7:21-26; 11:14-17; 14:10-12; Hos. 6:6-7; 8:11-14; 9:1-6; 12:9-11; 14:1-3; Joel 1:9;, 13; 2:12-14; Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-27; Jonah 1:15; 2:9; 3:5-10; Mic. 6:6-8; Zeph. 1:7-13; 3:10-11; Hag. 2:14; Zech. 14:21; Mal. 1:6-14; 2:10-14; 3:3-4; Matt. 9:13; 12:7; Heb. 10:8
The atonement doesn't change God, it changes man. It doesn't reconcile God unto man, but it reconciles man unto God: Rom. 5:10-11; 11:15; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20-22
Excerpts from my soon to be released article:
The atonement changes man:
Matt. 1:21; Jn. 1:29; Acts 3:26; Rom. 2:4 (with Rom. 5:8); 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 5:25-27; Col 1:21-23; Titus 2:11-12, 14; Heb. 9:26; 10:10; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:7; 3:5; 4:19
Blood sacrifices are useless without moral change: Ps. 50:7-23; 51:16-17; Prov. 15:8; 16:6; 21:3; 21:27; Isa. 1:10-17; 56:6-7; 66:3-4; Jer. 7:21-26; 11:14-17; 14:10-12; Hos. 6:6-7; 8:11-14; 9:1-6; 12:9-11; 14:1-3; Joel 1:9;, 13; 2:12-14; Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-27; Jonah 1:15; 2:9; 3:5-10; Mic. 6:6-8; Zeph. 1:7-13; 3:10-11; Hag. 2:14; Zech. 14:21; Mal. 1:6-14; 2:10-14; 3:3-4; Matt. 9:13; 12:7; Heb. 10:8
The atonement doesn't change God, it changes man. It doesn't reconcile God unto man, but it reconciles man unto God: Rom. 5:10-11; 11:15; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20-22
Excerpts from my soon to be released article:
The atonement does not change God, the atonement changes man (Matt. 1:21; Jn. 1:29; Acts 3:26; Rom. 2:4 (with Rom. 5:8); 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 5:25-27; Col 1:21-23; Titus 2:11-12, 14; Heb. 9:26; 10:10; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:7; 3:5; 4:19). The atonement does not change God from being stern, severe, and angry, to being mild, forgiving, and kind. God was merciful, loving, and forgiving before the atonement was made (Ps. 86:5; Neh. 9:17; Jonah 4:2; Joel 2:13) which is why He gave us the atonement in the first place (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). God did not have to be reconciled unto man, but man had to be reconciled unto God (Rom. 5:10-11; 11:15; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20-22), man needed to change, not God. So the atonement changes man, not God. God is the same after the atonement as He was before the atonement (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; Jas 1:17). It was not that the Father wanted to punish men, seeking personal vengeance, so the Son stepped in to shed His own blood to satisfy the Fathers personal vindictive wrath, so that now the vindictiveness of God is satisfied and therefore He doesn’t want to punish men anymore. Rather, the Father wanted to reconcile men and bring men back into a relationship with Him, He wanted to set aside their punishment through forgiveness. Therefore He sent His Son to die for their sin, to change them and bring them to repentance, to make a way for His wrath to be set aside while also protecting the highest well-being of all, so that their punishment would not be a governmental necessity anymore. The Lord wanted to set aside the penalty of the law while upholding the authority, influence, and dignity of the law at the same time. So the Son changes men on behalf of the Father, as opposed to the Son changing the Father on behalf of man. Men are reconciled unto God, instead of God reconciled unto men.
The atonement consisted in the wounding and bruising of Christ (Isa. 53:5), in the agony of His soul (Isa. 53:3-4, 10-12; Matt. 26:38; Mk. 14:34) and in the shedding of His blood (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22). The normal cause of death in crucifixion is suffocation. But if Jesus died of suffocation, He could not have verbally cried out before His death (Lk. 23:46). Medical science affirms that the intense suffering and extreme agony that Christ endured resulted in the heart of the Savior literally rupturing, so Jesus actually died of a broken heart (Jn. 19:34). Crucifixion usually takes days, which is why men were surprised Jesus had died so soon (Mk. 15:43-44; Jn. 19:33). And it was because Christ died of spiritual agony that ruptured His heart, that the soldiers did not have to break His legs to suffocate Him faster (Ps. 34:20; Jn. 19:32-34; 19:36). Jesus said that no man takes his life but he lays it down (sacrifices Himself) of his own free will (Jn. 10:17-18). So we see that Jesus gave up the Ghost (Mk. 15:37; 15:39; Lk. 23:46) and committed His Spirit into the hands of the Lord (Lk. 23:46) before the cross could kill Him through suffocation. While wicked men crucified Christ (Mk. 12:7; 27:35; Mk. 15:24-25; Lk. 20:14-15; 23:33; 24:20; 24:7; Jn. 19:18; 23; Acts 2:23; 2:36; 4:10; 1 Thes. 2:14-15), this is not what killed Jesus. The agony of his heart and soul literally ruptured His heart, so that He didn’t die of the suffocation crucifixion causes, He died of a broken heart over our sin, bearing the burden of our transgressions. It is this unimaginable suffering and horrific death of the Lord which is an adequate substitute for the eternal torment of hell. Jesus laid down His life, endured agonizing suffering for our sin, gave up the Ghost, and thereby sacrificed Himself as a Lamb and High Priest (Jn. 1:29; 10:11; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 7:27; 9:10; 9:14; Tit. 2:14), bearing the agonizing burden of our sin (1 Pet. 2:24).
There is a moral influence or transformation brought about by the atonement. A revelation of the suffering of Christ should subdue our hearts and bring us to complete surrender unto God (Rom. 2:4), repenting out of a motive of love, not selfishness (1 Jn. 4:19). God is drawing all men through the atonement (Jn. 12:32), and it is His loving kindness which draws us (Jer.. 31:3; Rom. 2:4). Transformation, liberation, or regeneration is through spiritual revelation, when men obey the gospel of Jesus Christ from the heart (Jn. 6:45, 63; 8:32; 15:3; 17:17; Acts 9:4-6; Rom. 2:8; 6:17; 12:2; 1 Cor. 4:15; Tit. 2:11-12; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Thes. 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:22-23; 4:17; 2 Pet. 1:2-3; 2:20; Jas. 1:18; 21-22). That is why we must publicly preach Christ (Acts 5:42; 9:20; 17:3; 1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 2:12; 4:5; Eph. 3:8; Php. 1:15-16), why we must preach the truth of the kingdom of God (Lk. 4:43; 9:2; 9:60; Acts 19:8; 20:25; 28:23; 28:31), why we see Paul publicly reasoning with men (Acts 19:8; Acts 19:9), particularly reasoning about the Christ (Acts 28:23). Men are in the bondage of deception (Lk. 2:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Tim. 2:26) so they need liberation through the preaching of the truth (Jn. 8:32; Lk. 2:18; 2 Tim. 2:24-25). Sacrifices are useless without a change of heart, without a deep moral change inside the transgressor for whom the sacrifice is made (Ps. 50:7-23; 51:16-17; Prov. 15:8; 16:6; 21:3; 21:27; Isa. 1:10-17; 56:6-7; 66:3-4; Jer. 7:21-26; 11:14-17; 14:10-12; Hos. 6:6-7; 8:11-14; 9:1-6; 12:9-11; 14:1-3; Joel 1:9;, 13; 2:12-14; Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-27; Jonah 1:15; 2:9; 3:5-10; Mic. 6:6-8; Zeph. 1:7-13; 3:10-11; Hag. 2:14; Zech. 14:21; Mal. 1:6-14; 2:10-14; 3:3-4; Matt. 9:13; 12:7; Heb. 10:8). Laws have penalties to secure obedience to the precept. If the atonement is to substitute our punishment, it must just as equally secure obedience to the precept as the punishments would have. So the atonement is designed to turn sinners into saints, to deliver us from a life of sinning (Matt. 1:21; Jn. 1:29; Acts 3:26; 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 5:25-27; Col 1:21-23; Titus 2:11-12, 14; Heb. 9:26; 10:10; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:7; 3:5). Jesus is a Savior from sin (Matt. 1:21). Christ died so “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom. 8:4) Christ died “to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26). Christians are saved unto obedience (1 Pet. 1:2) and unto good works (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14). This is because the atonement breaks and subdues our hearts, so that the cross brings us to repentance unto obedience (Rom. 2:4; 1 Jn. 4:19). The atonement so affects our hearts that we turn from our disobedience in humble, sincere, and deep repentance. The atonement (at-one-ment) is meant to make us at-one with God instead of at war with God. It does this by allowing God to set aside our punishment while also bringing us to a place of submission and surrender. The cross does not change God, it changes sinners.
There is a moral influence or transformation brought about by the atonement. A revelation of the suffering of Christ should subdue our hearts and bring us to complete surrender unto God (Rom. 2:4), repenting out of a motive of love, not selfishness (1 Jn. 4:19). God is drawing all men through the atonement (Jn. 12:32), and it is His loving kindness which draws us (Jer.. 31:3; Rom. 2:4). Transformation, liberation, or regeneration is through spiritual revelation, when men obey the gospel of Jesus Christ from the heart (Jn. 6:45, 63; 8:32; 15:3; 17:17; Acts 9:4-6; Rom. 2:8; 6:17; 12:2; 1 Cor. 4:15; Tit. 2:11-12; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Thes. 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:22-23; 4:17; 2 Pet. 1:2-3; 2:20; Jas. 1:18; 21-22). That is why we must publicly preach Christ (Acts 5:42; 9:20; 17:3; 1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Cor. 2:12; 4:5; Eph. 3:8; Php. 1:15-16), why we must preach the truth of the kingdom of God (Lk. 4:43; 9:2; 9:60; Acts 19:8; 20:25; 28:23; 28:31), why we see Paul publicly reasoning with men (Acts 19:8; Acts 19:9), particularly reasoning about the Christ (Acts 28:23). Men are in the bondage of deception (Lk. 2:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Tim. 2:26) so they need liberation through the preaching of the truth (Jn. 8:32; Lk. 2:18; 2 Tim. 2:24-25). Sacrifices are useless without a change of heart, without a deep moral change inside the transgressor for whom the sacrifice is made (Ps. 50:7-23; 51:16-17; Prov. 15:8; 16:6; 21:3; 21:27; Isa. 1:10-17; 56:6-7; 66:3-4; Jer. 7:21-26; 11:14-17; 14:10-12; Hos. 6:6-7; 8:11-14; 9:1-6; 12:9-11; 14:1-3; Joel 1:9;, 13; 2:12-14; Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-27; Jonah 1:15; 2:9; 3:5-10; Mic. 6:6-8; Zeph. 1:7-13; 3:10-11; Hag. 2:14; Zech. 14:21; Mal. 1:6-14; 2:10-14; 3:3-4; Matt. 9:13; 12:7; Heb. 10:8). Laws have penalties to secure obedience to the precept. If the atonement is to substitute our punishment, it must just as equally secure obedience to the precept as the punishments would have. So the atonement is designed to turn sinners into saints, to deliver us from a life of sinning (Matt. 1:21; Jn. 1:29; Acts 3:26; 2 Cor. 5:15; Eph. 5:25-27; Col 1:21-23; Titus 2:11-12, 14; Heb. 9:26; 10:10; Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:7; 3:5). Jesus is a Savior from sin (Matt. 1:21). Christ died so “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom. 8:4) Christ died “to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26). Christians are saved unto obedience (1 Pet. 1:2) and unto good works (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14). This is because the atonement breaks and subdues our hearts, so that the cross brings us to repentance unto obedience (Rom. 2:4; 1 Jn. 4:19). The atonement so affects our hearts that we turn from our disobedience in humble, sincere, and deep repentance. The atonement (at-one-ment) is meant to make us at-one with God instead of at war with God. It does this by allowing God to set aside our punishment while also bringing us to a place of submission and surrender. The cross does not change God, it changes sinners.