We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21

Meditation

Atonement is a fancy theological term. It’s not something most people use in their daily language. While many Christians don’t know the word or have heard it but don’t have a clear definition of it, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the term.

Atonement is the sacrificial death and the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ to satisfy God’s righteous justice. For those who turn from sin and trust Jesus, the atonement explains how God pays for our sins, guarantees forgiveness, restores our relationship with God and gives followers of Christ new life.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul breaks down this term and talks about its applications. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In Christ God came to earth as a man. Jesus was born, dwelled among us and lived a perfect life with no sin. Then that perfect God man who had no sin went to the cross and died for our sins. He died that death we should have suffered. He took our place. Christ’s righteousness was transferred to us and our sin was transferred to him.

But then, in 2 Corinthians, Paul addresses a second part to atonement which we often overlook. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” Atonement was never meant to be a secret. It was never meant to just be a theological idea kept to ourselves. Atonement properly understood is such good news that it is meant to be shared. Paul uses the term “ambassadors”. We are God’s representatives in the world.

The atonement is a profound and vital doctrine, encompassing both justification—being made right with God through Christ's sacrifice—and proclamation—sharing the universal offer of God's forgiveness in Christ. This is more than a theological concept. It's an embodied truth we carry and are never to hide. It is not dry orthodoxy, but a gift we freely and fearlessly give. We must strive both to understand the atonement and to share it with others.

Question for Reflection

Consider your effectiveness as an ambassador for Christ. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 meaning you rarely share, 10 meaning you share consistently), how often do you communicate the message of Christ's work on the cross through evangelism? What steps can you take to better represent Christ in the world?

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:15-16

Meditation 

I think everyone struggles with some sense of entitlement based on where they call home, the family they come from, or what we have accomplished in life. Just like anyone, I’ve got the disease of “I deserve something because of [fill in the blank]”. We all love the feeling of getting something based on our merit.

However, there’s a big problem with this. At the root of merit is pride, and not the good kind of pride. In fact, most of us would rather receive something from merit than receive it freely out of kindness or grace. When I receive a gift purely from the generosity of others, I feel weird and uncomfortable. This is because gifts collide with pride. Gifts rob pride of the opportunity to flex its muscles.

When Paul writes to the Jews at Galatia, he punches pride in the throat. Jewish by birth? So what. Awesome at keeping the law. Not impressed. For Paul, justification comes as a gift through faith in Christ. Not through birthright, nationalism, rule following, straight A’s, your parenting skills, your job title or based on if your dog loves you. You're made right before God by the work of Christ on the cross, which is a free gift. By faith alone (sola fide). By grace alone (sola gratia). By Christ alone (solus Christus). To the glory of God alone (soli deo gloria). Pride be damned. Christ be exalted.   

Question for Reflection

How does your pride impact your capability to receive the grace of God and the kindness of others?

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Meditation 

A prologue is an introductory section at the beginning of a literary work that comes before the main story begins. John’s prologue is unlike the other three Gospels. He begins his gospel by referring to Jesus as “the Word”. This is the term “logos”. In the first century it was used by both Jews and Greeks at that time. To the Jews, the concept of logos was God’s creative force. God created the world by his word. By his word we have the ten commandments and all the laws of the Old Testament. We also have his promises via his word. In the Jewish context, God’s word was the very animating principle of the Jewish world.

Logos to the Greeks was a different idea. To the Greeks logos was the rational principle behind the universe. The logos was an organizing force that made the world logical, predictable and consistent. The Greek word logos is where we get the English word today “logic”. So there is no question that the Greek take on logos impacts our worldview in art, science and literature today.

But then there’s another word used here. It’s the term “flesh”. The fancy theological term we use for this is “incarnation”. It means “embodied in the flesh”. It’s another way of saying God became a man. So when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” it’s the idea that God moved into our world through Jesus Christ.

The logos becoming the incarnation is God bridging the gap between the Jews and the Greeks. Jesus is the God for all people that you could see, touch and hear. He was the God who created and holds all things together for the Jews and the God who made sense to the Greeks. Love and logic. Creative and calculated. God of the Greeks. God of the Jews. God in the flesh. Or as Paul would write in Colossians 1:15-17…

He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Question for Reflection

How does the incarnation (God in the flesh) give you hope in the challenges you face now and in the future? How might your view of God need to expand more to include His creative nature (Jewish logos) or His ordered nature (Greek logos)?

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

Meditation 

In this text, Isaiah is talking about a Messiah that will come in the future who will sacrifice himself for his people. That Messiah is Jesus Christ. The scripture today is dense and weighty. Let’s just break it down by its fundamental components.

“pierced,” “crushed,” “punished”

Isaiah paints a very clear picture of the suffering servant here. The Messiah will be punished. This future figure will withstand punishment he doesn't deserve. The key term here is penal. This involves punishment, penalty, or punitive measures. This figure will suffer.

“for our transgressions,” “for our iniquities,” “the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all”

The main figure will stand in place of others. The Messiah will take our place and take the wrath we deserve. Isaiah’s figure here is a person who “takes the bullet”. The key term here is substitution. This is the act, process, or result of replacement of one thing for another. Think of this as “in our place”.

“the punishment that brought us peace,” “by his wounds we are healed”

Finally, Isaiah points to the future Messiah’s suffering restoring our relationship to God. With the cost paid through suffering, Jesus creates a pathway back to God. The key term here is atonement, which means reparation for an offense or injury. Think of terms like “absolution, satisfaction, restoration, acquittal, pardon, regeneration or redemption.”

There are a lot of words here, but let’s simplify it all. For us sheep who have “gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6), Jesus lays down his life (John 10:15). In Jesus we have a sacrificial defender who fights for us on the cross taking our punishment and standing in our place so that we can be reconciled to God.  

Question for Reflection

Write out three words that come to mind when you think about the fact that Jesus took your punishment and traded places with you so that you could be with God.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12

Meditation 

Have you ever felt like a scapegoat? I have. I’ve felt the burden of bearing the blame for others' mistakes and miscalculations. I’ve been the object of another person’s irrational hostility. Being in that position is a really uncomfortable seat to be in and I’ve used the term scapegoat for myself and others. But have you ever stopped and thought about where the term comes from?

The origin of the term scapegoat (Leviticus 16) originates from the Day of Atonement ritual. On this day, the high priest presented two goats. One was sacrificed, while the priest symbolically placed all the sins of the Israelites onto the other. This second goat was then sent into the wilderness to symbolize the complete removal of the people's sins.

For those of us who follow Christ, Jesus was our scapegoat. He took on our sins. He was cast out when he died outside the city of Jerusalem and sent into the wilderness. Like many rituals and practices in the Old Testament, the scapegoat pointed to Jesus.

So let’s go back to feeling like scapegoats. I think we can acknowledge that it feels awful, and rightfully so. It’s no fun to receive blame you don’t deserve, but what if God wants to use that? What if God wants to use false persecution, unfair blame, or the slander of office politics to help you identify with the suffering of your Lord Jesus? What if being a scapegoat gives you the opportunity to platform God’s mercy and forgiveness? What if he can use it to make you light and salt in a dark world? We assume that spiritual warfare is like conventional warfare. Wrong. A Biblical theology of spiritual warfare is radically different from the way the world wages war (see Ephesians 6:12 and 2 Corinthians 10:3–5).  

Sometimes you don’t fight or bite back. Sometimes the most godly thing you can do is just take the blows for his namesake. Do you have to fight all your own battles? Or do you trust that God will take care of you in his own time and way according to his plan? Jesus did. Look at his examples with the high priest (Matthew 26:63), Pilate (Matthew 27:12-14), and Herod (Luke 23:9). Jesus was silent. Will you be?

Question for Reflection

How might taking the blame for someone else, even when innocent, serve to advance the Gospel message? What does it look like to prioritize the advancement of God’s Kingdom over your own personal need for vindication or personal justice?