The concept of Atonement in Christianity
Atonement in Christianity refers to the reconciliation between God and humanity achieved through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. It embodies the process of making amends for sins, highlighting Christ's suffering as central to understanding divine love and forgiveness. This concept involves the acknowledgment of human guilt and the necessary actions for divine pardon. Various denominations, including Protestantism and Catholicism, emphasize different aspects of atonement, such as their relationship to justice, grace, and the restoration of a meaningful connection with God.
Synonyms: Restitution, Recompense, Penance, Compensation, Expiation, Remediation, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Absolution
In French: Expiation; In Dutch: Boetedoening; In Finnish: Sovitus; In Spanish: ·¡³æ±è¾±²¹³¦¾±Ã³²Ô; In German: ³§Ã¼³ó²Ô±ð; In Malay: Pendamaian; In Swedish: ¹óö°ù²õ´Ç²Ô¾±²Ô²µ
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Christian concept of 'Atonement'
From: Bible cyclopedia, critical and expository
(1) Atonement refers to being at one after a period of variance, signifying a process where alienation ends and reconciliation commences, which is often considered a type of remedy.[1] (2) This term is linked to reconciliation, sacrifice, and propitiation, highlighting the process of making amends or repairing a relationship, particularly in a religious or spiritual context, often involving a sacrifice or offering.[2] (3) This concept is not the primary purpose of the ordinance but is connected to the blood sprinkling before the tabernacle, indicating a relationship with the cleansing process for defilement.[3] (4) The Gemara says the red cloth ought to turn white as a token of God's acceptance or the atonement.[4] (5) The reconciliation between God and humanity that is achieved through the sacrificial death of Christ, as inferred from the context of the redemption process.[5]
From: Expositions of Holy Scripture
(1) The Atonement is the act of Christ's death, which is a crucial concept, and understanding it helps to grasp the depth of God's love and the sacrifice of His Son for humanity's sins.[6] (2) Atonement is the process by which sins are made amends, achieved by the sacrifice of one goat, and the laying of hands on the other, which makes it possible for sins to be pardoned and removed.[7] (3) The text does not attempt to explain the theory of the Atonement, but recognizes that Christ took upon Himself the consequences of human transgression.[8] (4) The act performed by Jesus Christ to cleanse humanity from sin, emphasized in the context of the Epistle to the Hebrews.[9]
From: A Dictionary of the Bible (Hastings)
(1) This is the cosmic significance of the atonement mentioned in the text as one of the characteristics of the epistle, along with other ideas.[10] (2) This is the act by which Jesus Christ, through his suffering and death, reconciled humanity with God, and the doctrine of the Atonement involves the realization of the guilt of the human race.[11] (3) Atonement is the process of making at one or reconciling people who have been at variance, as the English word suggests, and also refers to the work accomplished by Christ in His sufferings and death.[12] (4) This refers to a service or action that makes amends for a wrong, and it is a necessary component, as well as the restitution of the wrong, in order to receive divine pardon.[13]
From: Works of St. Anselm
(1) The act of making reparations for sin, required for man’s elevation to a state of grace.[14] (2) The reconciliation between God and humanity, which requires a being who is both divine and human to fulfill.[15]
From: Summa Theologica (English translation)
(1) A necessary action in Penance where the offender seeks to rectify their sins, discussed in relation to the nature of justice and the will of the sinner.[16]
From: Ante-nicene Fathers
(1) The text states that Christ makes atonement for human sins, serving as the means for reconciliation and forgiveness, as part of His role as Paraclete.[17] (2) The act of making reparations or compensations for wrongdoings, particularly in the context of failing to observe moral orders.[18]
From: The Existence and Attributes of God
(1) The act of making amends or reparation for a wrong or injury, is mentioned, with faith being entitled as a persuasion of, and embracing the promises, and a receiving of it.[19]