FOUR VIEWS OF THE ATONEMENT: CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Message by Josh Mutter – March 17, 2024
The atonement is the work of Jesus through his life, death and resurrection to reconcile humanity with God.
SERIES BIG IDEA: What Jesus accomplished on the cross is so big that we need different perspectives on the atonement to appreciate what Jesus has done for us and for our world.
THE ATONEMENT REMINDS US THAT:
1. God is relational
Romans 5:8 NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2. Sin is disruptive
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. Reconciliation is possible
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
4. We have a responsibility to respond
John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Luke 15:11-24 NIV To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
You can listen to the sermon on YouTube here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS