Atonement has to do with expiation for sin and reconciliation with a holy God. In this topic we’ll preview the gospel of salvation through the Old Testament (OT) Day of Atonement and sin offerings.
In ancient Israel, only the weekly 7th day sabbath and the annual Day of Atonement (approximately Oct 1) were full sabbath days. The Day of Atonement was the holiest day. The Septúagint/LXX identifies the Day of Atonement as a double sabbath. Le.23:26-32 LXX “On the 10th day of the 7th month is the day of atonement, holy to you. It is a perpetual precept throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath [Strongs g4521, Greek] of sabbaths [g4521].” Le.16:29-31 LXX “On this day he [high priest] shall make atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the Lord, and you shall be clean. It is a sabbath [g4521] of sabbaths [g4521] to you; you shall afflict your souls [fast].”
The Lord Christ authorized His OT pilgrim feasts to be kept only in the environs of the tabernacle or temple; ref De.16:5-6, 15-16. (see “Feasts of the Lord and the Jews”.) Unlike the temple feasts, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kíppur, in Hebrew) was to be kept in all their dwellings. Luke wrote in Ac.27:9, “Sailing was now dangerous, since the fast was already past”. The Day of Atonement was then being observed within the Roman Empire. Benson Commentary “The fast here spoken of was the day of atonement.” Cambridge Bible “The fast here meant is that of the great Day of Atonement.” Ellicott Commentary “The date may have been fixed on St Luke’s memory by St Paul’s observance of the Fast.” The fact that Luke refers to it indicates the Day was being kept by Jews, and probably by many Christians too, outside the Holy Land. Adam Becker The Ways That Never Parted, p.268 “Gentile Christians from Syria-Palestine continued to celebrate Yom Kippur together with their Jewish neighbors until at least the 4th century, as sermons by Origen and Chrýsostom prove.”
Some Christians today still honor the day. Pastor Don Finto said on Sunday 9/15/2007, “The [upcoming] Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the year”. Benny Hinn “Join Pastor Benny Hinn in fasting on the Day of Atonement on Monday 9/28/2009.” Those pastors aren’t Jewish.
The Day of Atonement (h3725 kippur) is also known as Yom Kippur by Jews. Yom Kippur means ‘day of covering’. Sins were covered by blood on Yom Kippur. Let’s look at forgiveness in the OT:
At the annual temple service, Yom Kippur was the national sin offering day for ancient Israel. Blood was brought into the Most Holy Place by the high priest (Le.16:14-16) only on this holiest day of the year. The Lord commanded a fast on this day (Le.23:27). The offerer wasn’t authorized to eat his own sin offering (Le.6:30)! The slain goat wasn’t eaten (Le.16:27). It is appropriately a day of fasting. (This was unlike the Passover animals, which were peace offerings, not sin offerings. The spring Passover sacrifice from the flock and herd, De.16:2-3, was eaten. see “Passover and Peace Offerings”.)
The Lord said in Le.17:11, “The life [or soul, h5315 néphesh] of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls. The blood by reason of the life makes atonement.” Blood is the principal carrier of life in the body. De.12:23 “The blood is the life [soul].” Ge.9:4 “Its life [soul h5315], that is, the blood.” The lifeblood.
Sin is so serious…God required the death of His creatures, clean domestic animals, to expiate lesser (menial) human sin. Sin kills. Sin offerings were accepted at the tabernacle/temple during the year.
Blood was necessary for forgiveness, to atone. Le.4:1, 2-35 shows sin offerings for unintentional sins. Le.4:11-12, He.13:11 the animal was afterwards burned, not eaten. Le.5:1-19 shows sin/guilt/trespass offerings. These were for sins of ignorance, omission, and against holy things. (Le.5:11-13 the poor may offer birds…or grain. He.9:22 “Almost all things are cleansed by blood.” But not quite all…God allowed the very poor, who didn’t have an animal/bird or couldn’t pay for one, to offer grain.)
Le.6:1-7, 19:20-22 shows intentional sins (and the guilt/trespass offering). They’re more serious than unintentional, accidental or inadvertent sins. But these sins in Le.6 also aren’t capital sins.
Individuals made sin/guilt offerings during the year…but they weren’t made for unknown (secret) sins.
Le.16 reflects the annual Day of Atonement service for the nation of ancient Israel as a whole. It was a day of national repentance. Only on this most solemn day was the high priest allowed into the Holiest Place behind the veil. To atone for Israel’s sins, known and unknown, the Lord required that blood be sprinkled at the mercy seat on the Ark of the testimony. To avert God’s wrath. So that Israel could be forgiven, remain the people among whom God dwelt, and not be sent into captivity or cease as a nation.
The Lord instructed Moses/Israel in Ex.30:10, “Aaron shall make atonement…on it [altar of incense in Holy Place] with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” This was the holiest ceremony of the year. God is very holy; He won’t dwell with sin! He.9:7 refers to the Day of Atonement. “Only the high priest enters, once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.”
In the annual service, the high priest first atoned for his own sins with the blood of a bull, Le.16:11-14. Two goats were involved in the ceremony, for the people. The high priest offered the blood of one goat (v.15-19). Then he laid his hands on the head of the second goat and transferred the sins, iniquities and transgressions of the people onto this goat. The goat, bearing all their wrongs, was released alive into the wilderness (v.20-22). One goat was slain to atone, the second lived to carry away their sins. David wrote in Ps.103:12, “As far as east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us”.
But there was no animal blood sacrifice/substitute to expiate major capital sins! The penalty for capital offenses was death, upon the testimony of two witnesses (De.17:6-7, 2Co.13:1). From personal, and circumstantial, evidence. Capital sins are, e.g….murder, adultery, kidnapping, blasphemy, false witness in capital cases. Also Nu.15:28-31, the person who rebelliously defied God and despised His word was utterly cut off. No sacrifice for these sins. The prescribed penalty was death without mercy (He.10:28). Though usually a commensurate fine was instead paid, except in cases of 1st degree murder, Nu.35:31.
For capital wrongs, the sinner’s own blood is required by a just God. Harvard University’s Jacob Neusner Judaism When Christianity Began, p.153, 158 “Offerings then expiate those sins which are not committed as an act of rebellion against God. The ones that embody an attitude of rebellion, by contrast, cannot be expiated through the surrogate, the blood of the beast, but through the sinner, who is put to death by the court or is flogged by the court’s agents or is cut off in the prime of life. So God sees into man’s heart….Above all, death marks the final atonement for sin.”
The end of a person’s biological life, death, is the consequences of sin for everyone (eventually). De.24:16 “Everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.” (cf. Ro.6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”)
The Day of Atonement service reflected the highest mediatorial work of the high priest (Encyclopedia of the Bible). This OT service did remove sins and “sent them away”…but it didn’t remove the sin nature from people’s hearts (He.10:1-4).
Along with animal sacrifices for sins, a sequence of repentance, confession, restitution was required for forgiveness (cf. Le.6:1-7). This mindset/action was concurrent with the ‘work’ of doing sacrifices. Philo The Special Laws 1:43:236 “Pardon shall be given to such a man…by works.”
It wasn’t choosing one or the other! But today there’s no temple at which to expiate (lesser) sins. Many (non-Christian) Jews have said the non-sacrificial elements alone are sufficient to cover sin. But that’s not what the word of God reveals and requires! Without a physical temple, what did the Lord provide as a just blood substitute to expiate sins? (To pay the penalty for, or to make amends.)
Is.53:1-12 reflected a prophesied future sinless human sacrifice. v.12 “He poured out His life [soul h5315] unto death…He bore the sins of many.” This will be Jesus. Benson Commentary “He willingly laid down His life.” JFB Commentary “His life, which was considered as residing in the blood.”
Paul wrote in 1Co.15:3-4, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and was raised.” He.4:14-15 Jesus, our great high priest in the order of Melchisedek, was sinless. 1Pe.1:18-19 Christ’s precious lifeblood redeemed mankind. He.9:28 “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many.”
Jesus bore our sins on the cross. He died…and yet He lives at Father God’s right hand in heaven (Ac.2:32-33). The OT type was in the Day of Atonement temple service…the one goat was slain, and the second scapegoat or escape-goat bore Israel’s sins and lived (Le.16:21-22). They pictured Christ who died, was resurrected, and now lives!
The New Testament writers and early Jewish Christians had faith that Yeshúa’s (Jesus’) sacrifice was sufficient to cover their sins. We don’t read of them bringing any offerings for sin or guilt to the temple, which existed until 70 AD. (Nu.6:13-21 the sacrifices for voluntary vows did include a sin offering, cf. Ac.21:23-26.) Jesus’ sinless Divine life (via the virgin birth) is worth more than the sum of all human lives…and much more than animals’ lives! His blood is enough. see “Jesus’ Virgin Birth”.
But “Jesus” isn’t a name magically invoked, and then we merely return to willingly commit more sins or carelessly ignore God’s laws that identify sin…the violation of which animal sacrifice was required by Christ for forgiveness in the OT. That kind of cheap grace, so-called, is a sham. We’re to obey the Lord. God gives the indwelling Holy Spirit, enabling us to overcome the sin nature (Ro.8:4-14).
What about the more serious capital sins for which death was prescribed, upon the testimony of two witnesses? e.g. 2Sm.12:7-14 no animal blood could atone for David’s adultery, murder and despising of God’s word (Nu.15:30-31)! Whether or not witnesses came forward…the Lord knew what David had done. Neither the Day of Atonement sacrifice, nor an individual sin offering, could expiate David’s major sin! Only David’s own life, or the life of a sinless human victim, could atone/substitute.
2Sm.12:15-18, 24 David’s capital sins were covered by the death of his innocent newborn son. The baby was sinless, knowing no sin which later would be atoned by his own death. The Lord chose to take his life in place of David’s life. This little one was a type of Christ, if you will. David was forgiven.
2Co.5:19-21 “He [God] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.” Christ became that which He did not know. Jesus was completely sinless. He’d committed no sins for which His own death on the cross must atone. His life as Creator God (Jn.1:1-3, He.1:2) is worth more than the sum of all our lives…so Jesus’ sacrificial death was sufficient to atone for our sins in the eyes of God. (Though we all still die physically, we’ll live forever in eternal life! see “Life After Death – for Saints”.)
Ac.13:38-39 “Through Him [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him all who believe are justified in all things from which you couldn’t be justified by the Law of Moses.” Capital sins couldn’t be justified by the Yom Kippur goats or sin offerings, according to the Law of Moses.
Matthew Poole Commentary Ac.13:39 “There were some sins which by the ceremonial law there was no sacrifice appointed for.” Major sins/crimes. Matthew Henry Commentary “By Jesus Christ we obtain a complete justification; for by him a complete atonement was made for sin.”
After our belief, confession of sin, and repentance…through Christ’s sacrifice we stand justified from all kinds/categories of sin. We’re not condemned by God. Pulpit Commentary “Upon the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, a free and full forgiveness of sins to all that repent and believe the gospel.”
Reading through the chapters of Hebrews 9–10 will provide a more complete understanding. They go into more detail about Jesus’ sacrifice as related to the Day of Atonement.
We’ve all sinned. Christ is our atonement or propitiation through His blood. Ro.3:23-26 “He [God] passed over our sins previously committed.” We receive the gift of total expiation for all sins we’d done. Ro.5:8-9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His [Christ’s] blood, we shall be saved from God’s wrath [condemnation] through Him.”
Human courts may (justly) condemn a criminal to physical death. But upon repentance and belief in Christ’s sacrifice, the condemned man stands un-condemned by God. Thank You, Lord!
Lk.23:39-43 shows that a criminal, condemned by the courts, can be forgiven and be with the Lord. Unrepentant thieves, kidnappers, murderers, adulterers, haters of God, etc. won’t inherit the Kingdom of God, 1Co.6:9-10. v.11 “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” All the repentant who believe in His sacrifice!
Ro.8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No eternal condemnation. Jesus/Yeshua has atoned for all our sins.
Ti.2:11-14 “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.” Gentiles too can be redeemed from all wrongs and be saved! People who didn’t know of Yom Kippur.
1Jn.1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us.” Our confession is still required, including sins and transgressions in the future.
The song title has it…Nothing But The Blood of Jesus. Christ’s precious blood/life/soul is our atonement…even for capital offenses repented of (such as David’s)!
Jesus fulfills both atonement goats of Yom Kippur. (For that matter, He fulfills the Passover, the burnt offerings, etc….Christ fulfills all the OT sacrificial types. also see “Sacrifices and Burnt Offerings”.)
Father God saw Christ’s atoning blood poured out. God’s justice has been upheld. We stand reconciled to the Father. The ancient Day of Atonement service and sin offerings foreshadowed the real living gospel…the gospel of eternal salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord! He is the propitiation, the appeasing, the atonement, for the sins of the whole world (1Jn.2:2).
This topic is continued in “Day of Atonement (2) – in Revelation”.
Bible Topic Exposition 