ATONEMENT – What A Beautiful Word For Love!

 The word atonement is such a beautiful word when you discover its meaning. You can actually break it down in the original language to three parts – AT ONE MENT. It carries the idea of restoration of a separated person back to another person or being.
          We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Those sins separate us from a Holy God. He still loves us but He hates our sin. Because He is Holy and our sin keeps Him from looking at us and fellowshipping with us. Our sin creates a sin debt that we cannot pay and a barrier between us and Him. There is nothing that we can do on our own to pay the debt and get back in fellowship with God.
          So what we can’t do HE does for us. God sent His Holy Son Jesus to shed His pure sinless blood on the cross for us. This blood pays the price of our sin debt and removes the sin barrier that keeps God from fellowshipping with us.
          Our sin has separated us from God and we are far away from him. But the blood of Jesus causes our sins to be forgiven and removed so that we who were far away are now AT ONE MENT again with God. That is atonement. That is a picture of the beautiful restoration that is the love of God for us.
          We must be careful that we don’t take the gift of God and the grace of God too lightly. If we keep on sinning while abusing the grace of God and not repenting of our sins – the Bible says that there remains no sacrifice for our sins. Jesus said that if we loved Him we would obey Him and turn away from our sins.
 So today if you are away from God – He longs to have you back in fellowship with Him. So much so that He sent Jesus to bring you back into an AT ONE MENT with Him. God offers you His love gift today so that you can be back in a perfect relationship with Him. Won’t you accept that gift today?
–In love with Jesus – Gary Mimbs