THE ATONEMENT
AND FORGIVENESS IN CHRIST
When unbelievers read the words, “The LORD has laid on
him [Christ] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6), they often assume that we
believe God just transferred our guilt to Christ and let Him take the blame for
what we did. However, that is not the case at all. If that was all there is to
the atonement then it would be a travesty of justice. What the Bible actually
teaches is much more profound.
People who think that God just transferred our guilt
to Christ, assume that our sins were removed by God’s act of placing them on
Christ. Nevertheless, that is not what the Bible says. If that was all it took
to remove our sins then no one on earth would be guilty because God placed the
sins of everyone on Christ. Likewise, if that was all it took to remove our
sin, then it would not have mattered if Christ was sinless or not just as long
as our guilt was transferred to Him. However, what God had in mind is far more
glorious. The moment God laid our sins on Christ those sins were in two places
– on us and on Him. Those sins condemned us, and they condemned Him as well. On
the cross, He suffered the condemnation, punishment and death that we deserved.
Then, something that was totally unexpected (from the world’s point of view)
happened. Because Christ had no sin of His own, God forgave the sins that had
been placed on Him, and pronounced Him innocent. For that reason, those sins no
longer condemn Christ. They have been forgiven! And, because they were our
sins, and have been forgiven, that forgiveness becomes ours when we place our
faith in Christ. As it is written, “Scripture has concluded all under sin, that
the promise might be given to those who believe, through faith in Jesus Christ”
(Galatians