Atonement, The Diagnosis and Cure
Atonement: The Diagnosis and Cure
Pastor E. Keith Hassell
I. God’s entire plan of redemption can be summed up in one word: atonement.
A. Atonement: Hebrew “chaphar” means “to cover”
B. Atonement in the Old Testament: To “cover” sin once a year through animal sacrifice on Yom Kippur or (The Day of Atonement)
C. Atonement in the New Testament: To “take away” sins once and for all through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (The Cross)
1. Hebrews 10:1-4 (NKJV) “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”
2. Hebrews 9:26 (NKJV) “He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
3. John 1:29 (NKJV) “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
D. William Tyndale translated the Bible into English. Because there was no word in English to express the work of Christ’s sacrifice, he composed of the word “At-one-ment” to indicate that the Cross has removed the barriers caused by sin so that we might be one with Him.
II. Atonement reveals two things:
A. The diagnosis of the human problem
B. The cure
III. The Diagnosis
A. Diagnosis (Definition): A diagnosis is the “act or process of discovering or identifying a diseased condition.”
B. The Importance of a Diagnosis: A proper diagnosis of the problem is essential in providing an effective cure.
C. The Bible’s diagnosis of our problem: SIN
1. No other religious book in the world (unless it is derived from the Bible) diagnoses the problem of sin.
2. No philosopher today or from the past has made that diagnosis.
D. What is SIN? (definition)
1. Strong’s Concordance: “to miss the mark, to err, to be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to wander from God’s law, to violate God’s law.”
2. Romans 3:23 (NKJV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
3. We have all missed out on God’s glorious will for our lives.
E. The Symptoms of Sin
1. Alienation from God
2. Relationship problems
3. Destructive Habits
4. Cancer of the soul (mind, will, emotions)
F. Accepting the Diagnosis
1. We can’t get rid of our problem until we face the root of our problem: SIN
IV. The Cure: The Cross of Jesus Christ
A. The Cross
1. Not only does the Bible diagnose our problem, but it provides God’s perfect remedy, the Cross.
2. The cross is where Jesus Christ became God’s sacrifice to atone for our sins so that we might be saved!
3. Hebrews 7:27 (NKJV) “who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
4. Hebrews 9:13-14 (NKJV) “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
5. As Priest Jesus offered up the atoning sacrifice, but He Himself was the Sacrifice.
V. When the Cure won’t work for you
A. You refuse to admit the problem
B. You refuse to ask for help
C. You reject the diagnosis
D. You reject the cure
E. You put it off until another time
VI. Will you be cured today?
A. John 1:29 “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”