Atonement & all it means - final reflections

I didn't think this would spread into a 9 part series spanning over 2 weeks.  But the more I dove into the theology of the Atonement the more I saw its intricate sections which all have a huge impact on our lives.  I don't think I've covered it completely, but I hope if you read all 9 of these posts that you will gain some understanding as to why the cross of Jesus Christ is the most important aspect of Christianity, and also that it should be the central point of thought for all humanity.

The fact that humankind was so completely helpless in its state of sin and separation from God highlights the importance that Jesus died to put himself in the place of the punishment God had to hand out to us.  Jesus' blood covers our own lives so that we are seen as innocent while Jesus is seen as guilty.

That revolutionised my life when I was 9 years old.  I'd heard about Jesus and known stories from the Bible since I was around 5, yet when I was 9 through the work of my local church's Sunday School I suddenly grasped what it meant that Jesus paid the price for my sin.  It was a child like understanding for sure, but a true understanding nonetheless. I realised even at such a young age that if Jesus did that for me, and then through His resurrection gained the authority to grant me a new life in Him - then my only response could be to worship and serve Him with the life He'd given me.  Since then I have grown in my understanding of that. I received a huge wake up call when I was 14 as I realised God's plan was not necessarily my own idea of how my life would turn out, but yet again it was the understanding of the atonement, that Jesus paid it all, which gave me the sense of duty to continue worshiping Him no matter what and following His plan for my life and not my own.  Life continues to show me that His plan is good, though I find it tough at times I still see that He works in my life while I'm attempting to live one worthy of what He paid for it.  He's never let me down, the fact that huge price has already been paid means that He has already given me more than I could ever imagine, so how could His guidance ever let me down.

That's my final reflection on this topic of atonement... it's how it has effected my life, and it should be how it effects yours too.  If you haven't acknowledged this work of Jesus then you must see that you still stand 'apart from God', under the condemnation for your own sin.  It's only by acknowledging Jesus, then letting that amazing love He's shown for you change the way you live, that you will be saved.  If you have done that, then hopefully these posts can urge you to follow Him unrelentingly. See how much He's done for you, and realise how little you have to give to Him - but give it all to Him anyway because that is simply the best (and only true) response we can give Him.