WHAT IS ATONEMENT? by John Orr

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Feb 24, 1898

WHAT IS ATONEMENT?

By John Orr

THE generally received idea of an atonement is that of “satisfaction by equivalent.” That is to say, when one has wronged another, the one to whom the injury is done settles the matter by receiving an equivalent in the form of some offering. The logical conclusion is that the wrong has in this way been atoned for, since the one doing the wrong has sacrificed something in order to satisfy the feelings of the other whom he has wronged. But such a theory can not apply in the atonement work for sin, for several reasons. First, God receives no injury in any way by man’s sin, and therefore asks no satisfaction for wounded feelings. Second, the only one injured by sin is the person committing the sin, inasmuch as he forfeits life by it, hence it is not possible for him to render satisfaction to God for an injury done to himself.

Again, God did not give His Son to die in man’s stead simply to satisfy justice, since it is not strictly just to cancel sin in the guilty because one not guilty has suffered for the sin, inasmuch as such an act of itself can not change the life or character of the guilty one. Sin atonement is, therefore, not accomplished by the act, alone, of one dying in the place of another. True, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), and, consequently, every sin committed demands the death of the transgressor, not simply because he has injured another, and justice therefore demands satisfaction, but because, in the very nature of things, sin is the seed of death, and when once planted in the human heart, produces death, unless some remedy is applied by which the terrible germ can be eradicated. But such a work, to be successful, requires co-operation on the part of the one in whom is lodged the gruesome seed; otherwise nothing can relieve him.

The plan to relieve man from such a state was deeply laid in love, and such a love that God freely gave His “only-begotten” Son, that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. The atonement of Christ for man is, therefore, to take from him that which would cause him to perish, and put in its place the seed of life everlasting. As stated by the apostle, Christ “abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” 2 Tim. 1:10.

As already seen, sin produces death, but not to satisfy God’s wounded feelings. Sin being entirely foreign to the holy nature and pure character of Jehovah, He can in no way associate with it, or with whatever is contaminated by it. Man, being a sinner, is opposed to God’s nature, and naturally has no desire to be associated with Him. In thus separating himself from God, who is the source of all life, man is cut off from life, and so perishes. To bring man back to God is, therefore, to return him to the “fountain of life,” from whence he has been separated.

This means a reconciliation, or an agreement, “a setting at one.” It is really an at-one-ment with God. But on whose part comes the change of standing? We read that with God “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. This being true, He could not alter His purpose or attitude, and therefore could not love the sinner less because he has sinned, nor desire his eternal happiness less after he has sinned than before. His everlasting, unchangeable love does not permit God to become unreconciled to the one who has sinned, however much He may be opposed to the sin itself; otherwise He could not, while man was still in sin, have “freely” and of “His own will,” sacrificed His own and only-begotten Son, to bring man back to His embrace. All of the pleading invitations from God plainly reveal that man is the one who is unreconciled, and therefore needs to change in order to bring about friendly relations between himself and his Maker.

It was to make man dissatisfied with God, and so alienate his affections from divine things, that the great enemy of heaven appeared to the first pair in Eden. His first effort and only object there was to make the woman feel unreconciled to God for placing restrictions about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. To gain this end, God was represented as being overbearing and unjust in denying her free access to that which would open to her the avenue to know evil along with the good she already understood. In following the counsel of her evil adviser, the woman transferred her

allegiance from God to His inveterate enemy, and so separated herself and posterity from the Author of their existence.

Man’s life was thus hopelessly cut off, unless the love of God might provide a plan of relief. He can not change His attitude in relation to sin, but could open a way by which man might voluntarily drop his enmity to heaven’s law, and so renew friendly relations with the court of heaven. But while love seeks to unite man to God, that he may again have abiding life, it can do nothing to compromise the eternal character of God. Being infinitely just and right Himself, God can not uphold man in cherishing sin, or justify the least departure from holiness, which is the nature of His own character; for in so doing He would become a partner with sin, and thus destroy the holiness of His own being.

Then just how God can maintain His infinite attributes of purity and holiness, and yet receive fallen man into His confidence, is the problem which the atonement of Christ seeks to solve. To thus bring the sinner into harmonious relation with God involves an acquaintance, not on the part of God for man; for He knows him well from of old; but on man’s part, who, because of listening to Satan’s misrepresentations, has not known God. To acquire this, however, is beyond man’s unaided ability for when he at first permitted himself to become unreconciled to God, a pall of darkness came over his mind in consequence of the loss of that life which alone could empower it to comprehend God’s attributes. Eph. 4:18. It was of no avail that God’s perfect will was afterward expressed in His law, or that His attributes of mercy, graciousness, long-suffering, goodness, and willingness to forgive sin, were proclaimed in the holy mount. Ex. 34:4-7. These were ideas too high for a decayed and darkened mind to grasp. The heavens might “declare the glory of God,” and the firmament display “His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1), but even these could discover to feeble human minds only “parts of His ways” (Job 26:7–14).

It was therefore necessary for God to reveal Himself to man in a way that all His tender mercies, and unchangeable love for the sinner, might be fully appreciated. The right doing of God was embodied in His law, which is the transcript of His mind—the holiness of His character—expressed in words. Ps. 119:172. But the mind darkened by sin has no power to discover these qualities there; neither can the law impart the needed light by which its hidden truth may be fully known to the carnal mind. So what the law could not do for man because of the weakness of the flesh (Rom. 8:3), God attempts to do by sending His own Son, who is the express image of Himself (Heb. 1:3), to dwell among men, that in His life might be seen God’s attributes and requirements, which are the end, or design, of the law for righteousness (Rom. 10:4).

But this was not all to be accomplished by the mission of Christ. While His life was to reveal the holiness of God’s character, the love of Jehovah for fallen humanity was to be made manifest by the death of the sinless One, who freely gave up His own life in behalf of God’s enemies. This alone could touch hard hearts, and reconcile them to God. Thus “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Cor. 5:19.

A mysterious combination indeed. God was in Christ, yet Christ was in the likeness of sinful flesh. Rom. 8:3. It was necessary for this to be, however, for in no other way could the holiness of God touch polluted sinners without becoming corrupted, but by coming to them in a body like theirs, and through that flesh, kept pure by his indwelling presence, reach out toward, and heal the malady of sin, which, as an incubus of death, was not only holding man away from God, but was fast bearing him on to final destruction.

Not only this, but by Christ’s appearance in human flesh, to meet all the temptations to which flesh is subject, and by suffering to the depth of human anguish, under these temptations, He put Himself in man’s place, and thereby gained an experience by which He could sympathize with the weakest, to the extent of providing them the fullest amount of power to walk with God. So, while the work of atonement covers every necessity of man, in restoring him to the life and fellowship of God, it is plain also that such work is not accomplished without man’s co-operation. The nature of that co-operation is a point which must wait to be treated in future papers.

JOHN ORR.