“A” stands for ATONEMENT.
Atonement means “to repair a broken relationship.” God, because of His great love for His creation, sent His Son Jesus into the world so that sinners might be reconciled to God.
- Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
- “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Peace with God was made possible by everything Jesus did on behalf of sinners. This includes His LIFE, DEATH, and RESURRECTION.
HIS LIFE. Jesus did for sinners what they could not do for themselves. He succeeded where we failed.
Jesus reflected God’s glory.
- “And the Word (Jesus) became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life.
- The Bible says that Jesus is “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
HIS DEATH. God provided atonement between Himself and sinners through the substitutionary death of His Son on the cross. Jesus died as the substitute for sinners; He died in their place.
- “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
- “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
- “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24).
At the cross, an amazing exchange took place: our sins were credited to Jesus; His righteousness is credited to those who follow Him.
- “He (God) made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
HIS RESURRECTION. Jesus’ death is not the end of the story…Three days later, He arose victoriously from the grave! Death has been defeated! Jesus’ resurrection is proof that God has approved His ministry. Jesus alone is SAVIOR and LORD!
- “He (God) has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
By His life, Jesus attained righteousness on sinners’ behalf. By His death, Jesus paid the penalty that sinners owed. By His resurrection, Jesus defeated death for all who will follow Him.
The blessings of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection apply only to those who will follow His as Savior and Lord. This response to follow Jesus is called conversion.