How much more, then, will the blood of Christ . . . cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Heb. 9:14)
Expanded Passage: Leviticus 16:6-17, 20-22, 34; Hebrews 9:11-15
Atonement as a vocabulary word may be a foreign concept, but atonement as a lived experience is familiar to most. Humans intuitively know that something is off in this world. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis notes that the very existence of the way something “ought to be” is an admission that something is off. We know that we are not as we ought to be and need to make amends, but how?
In Leviticus, God spoke through Moses to Aaron and began the grand project of providing a way back to him. Chaos and sin had barged into the peaceful garden that he had made. God created an outpost in the desert to begin rebuilding his kingdom that had been coopted by death and sin. The beginning of the plan was to prepare the people. They had to develop a language and a practice that helped identify the death and brokenness that humanity was experiencing.
The articulation and zealous avoidance of the brokenness was not enough for our God! He stepped down out of heaven into his creation and tore out the root of death, chaos, and sin once and for all. He did so by carrying our sins into the wilderness and cleansing us with his blood. This loving sacrifice allows us to live as we were designed to be: in constant communion with God for eternity.
Ask God to bring you into communion with him.
Caleb Strickland is the lead pastor of Christ Wesleyan Church (CWC) in Winston Salem, NC.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
