Part 5- Purification from sin and the atonement is received by faith
Since we have established that the New Testament identifies
wicked men as the source of the physical violence at the Cross, we must look at how the Bible defines the spiritual work of the Atonement. If it wasn't a judicial punishment from the Father, then what was it? The Scriptures provide a clear answer: It was
Purification (Katharismos) and
Ransom (Lutron)
From the Courtroom to the Sanctuary
If the Cross was not a place of "Divine Punishment" where the Trinity was divided, we must ask:
What actually happened to our sin? To understand this, we must move our hearts and minds away from the modern "Courtroom" and back into the biblical "Sanctuary." The Apostles did not use the language of a criminal execution; they used the language of
Purification (Katharismos) and the
Mercy Seat (Hilastērion). In the Old Covenant, the blood was never intended to "calm an angry God"; it was intended to
cleanse a defiled people so that a Holy God could dwell among them. In this section, we will see how Jesus, our Great High Priest, did not die to satisfy a need for violence, but to provide the ultimate
Expiation—the washing away of sin that allows us to stand in the presence of the Father, holy and blameless.
The Prophetic Priority—Why God Never Desired Sacrifice
I. The Myth of the "Blood-Thirsty" God
A core pillar of the Reformed system is the belief that God’s justice
demands a violent payment—that He cannot simply forgive because His "holy wrath" must be satisfied by blood. However, when we look at the sweep of the Old Testament prophets, we find a consistent, startling message:
God never wanted the animal; He wanted the heart.
II. The "Contrite Heart" Over the "Burnt Offering"
In the wake of his most devastating sin, David does not reach for a legal transaction. In
Psalm 51:16-17, he makes a radical claim: "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart you will not despise"
If God’s nature was such that He
required blood to satisfy His personal anger, David’s prayer would be heresy. Instead, David reveals that the sacrificial system was a shadow—a way for man to express repentance—but that God’s pleasure is found in the
internal posture of the sinner, not the
external payment of a life.
III. The Prophetic Correction: Obedience over Ritual
Through the prophets, God explicitly critiques the idea that He is "fed" or "satisfied" by the legal mechanism of sacrifice.
- Jeremiah 7:22-23: God declares that His primary command at the Exodus wasn't about the mechanism of sacrifice, but about listening to His voice.
- Amos 5:21-24: God expresses "hatred" for the festivals and offerings when they lack the "ever-flowing stream" of righteousness and justice.
- Micah 6:6-8: Micah mocks the legalistic escalation of trying to "buy" God’s favor with thousands of rams or even one's firstborn. He concludes that God has already told us what is good: "To walk humbly with your God."
Summary: "If God’s ultimate requirement is for us to walk humbly with Him in holiness, then the barrier is not His anger, but our defilement. The Atonement, therefore, is not the satisfying of a legal debt, but the divine solution to that defilement:"
Purification for sin—καθαρισμός—katharismos: a cleansing, purifying, purification, expiation. Strong's 251
IV. The Cross as the Ultimate "Covering" (Kipporet)
As noted in
Proverbs 10:12 and
1 Peter 4:8,
"Love covers a multitude of sins." In Hebrew poetry, this is
Antithetical Parallelism: hatred stirs up conflict (uncovering/accusing), but love covers (forgiveness/peace).
The "Atoning Sacrifice" (
Propitiation) of
1 John 4:10 must be read through this lens. If Love is what "covers," then the Cross is not where God "uncovers" His wrath to pour it out on Jesus. Rather, it is where God’s Love
covers our sins by the perfect, contrite, and obedient heart of the Son. The Father didn't turn away in disgust; He leaned in to receive the only "sacrifice" He ever truly desired:
Perfect Obedience in Love.
V. Conclusion: The Power of "I Forgive You"
Jesus proved this throughout His ministry. He did not say, "I will forgive you once I have been punished in your place." He looked at the paralyzed man, the woman at the well, and the thief on the cross and simply spoke the words:
"Your sins are forgiven." If God’s "Justice" prevented Him from forgiving without a prior death, Jesus’ earthly ministry of forgiveness would have been a violation of the Father’s character. Instead, Jesus was the
exact representation of the Father—proving that God is a God who
desires to forgive and is only looking for the "Look of Faith" to begin the work of the New Birth.
Purification for sin- καθαρισμός- katharismos: a cleansing, purifying, purification, expiation. Strongs 2512.
Thayers: a cleansing from the guilt of sins (see καθαρίζω, 1 b. β.): wrought now by baptism,
2 Peter 1:9, now by the expiatory sacrifice of Christ,
Hebrews 1:3 on which cf. Kurtz, Commentary, p. 70; (
Exodus 30:10; τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου,
Job 7:21; of an atonement, Lucian, asin. 22)
Hebrews 1:3-And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Purification for sin is in the blood of Christ in the Atonement
Matthew 26:26-29
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Hebrews 9:22
Because all things are purged by blood in The Written Law, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Leviticus 4:20,26,35
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for
a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an
atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them
Leviticus 6:7
And the priest shall make an
atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in
the blood, and I have given it to you to make
atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is
the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
Hebrews 9
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year,
and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The forgiveness of sins is found only in
the blood of Christ- His life which He gave as a sacrifice for sin. That is the heart of
the Atonement. It is what the New Covenant is found upon His blood, His life which was given for our sins. Forgiveness is only found in His blood that He gave His life on our behalf. That is how are sins are removed and taken away. That is what the Law required for sin was the blood of the animal sacrifice.
There is
no "punishment" above anywhere. There is a sacrifice provided which covers and provides forgiveness of sins. The entire book of Hebrews is built upon the OT Law and how it is fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus said He gave His life as a Ransom . Strongs 3038- Lutron λύτρον. the purchasing money for manumitting slaves, a ransom, the price of ransoming; especially the sacrifice by which
expiation is effected, an offering of expiation. Thayers: λύτρον, λύτρου, τό (λύω), the Sept. passim for כֹּפֶר, גְּאֻלָּה, פִּדְיון, etc.; the price for redeeming, ransom (paid for slaves,
Leviticus 19:20; for captives,
Isaiah 45:13; for the ransom of a life,
Exodus 21:30;
Numbers 35:31f): ἀντί πολλῶν, to liberate many from the misery and penalty of their sins,
Matthew 20:28;
Mark 10:45. (Pindar, Aeschylus, Xenophon, Plato, others.)
Matthew 20:28- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many
The Meaning of Ransom: Release, Not Payment
Ransom—λύτρον—lutron: a price for redeeming, ransom; the means of liberation/release. Strong's 3038
If we stay in the "Courtroom," we see a ransom as a transaction to settle a legal claim. But if we stay in the "Sanctuary," we see a ransom as the power that breaks the chains of a captive.
- Mark 10:45: Jesus says He came to give His life as a lutron (ransom) for many. This isn't a payment to the Father to "buy off" His anger; it is the "price" of the rescue mission to bring us out of the kingdom of darkness.
- The Exodus Pattern: In the Old Testament, God "ransomed" Israel from Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:8). He didn't pay Pharaoh a fee to let them go; He exercised His power to deliver them from a state of slavery.
Summary: "A ransom in the Bible is never a payment made to satisfy God; it is the cost God was willing to pay to rescue us. The Cross is not a transaction where the Father receives a payment, but a liberation where the Son breaks the power of sin and death to set the captives free."
hilastērion – the atonement is received by Faith.
Romans 3:25
God presented Christ as a
sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—
to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. NIV
Romans 3:25
whom God put forward as
a propitiation by his blood
, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ESV
Summary: The Sanctuary of Faith
The Mercy Seat (Hilastērion): In the Old Testament Tabernacle, the High Priest never entered the Holy of Holies to be struck by God; he entered to sprinkle blood upon the
Mercy Seat. This was the specific place where God
met with man in grace. Therefore, when Paul uses this word in Romans 3:25, he is identifying the Cross as the new "Meeting Place." The Atonement is not a record of God striking the Priest, but of the Priest providing the
Purification necessary for God and man to be reconciled. If the Mercy Seat was the place where the glory of God dwelt between the Cherubim, then the Cross is where the glory of God’s love is most clearly seen—not in the venting of wrath, but in the provision of presence.
Some may argue that Romans 3:25 and other texts require the Father to pour wrath on the Son. However, careful exegesis and attention to the relational language of the Trinity suggest these passages describe reconciliation and covenant faithfulness rather than punitive wrath directed at Christ. the "Atonement Cover" (
Hilastērion) is the
Mercy Seat. In the OT, that was the place where God
met with man in mercy, not the place where He struck the High Priest. This reinforces the fact that the Atonement is about
reconciliation and
meeting, not "punitive wrath
The Necessity of Faith: While the Atonement is a finished work of Christ, it is not a "mechanical" or "automatic" transaction. Just as the Israelite had to look at the Bronze Serpent to be healed, the sinner must look to Christ in
Faith. The Atonement provides the
remedy for the whole world, but that remedy only produces
pardon, remission, and life when it is personally received.
The "Exegesis of the Cross" (Isaiah 53 and the Passion)
PSA basically teaches that God doesn’t save us from sin or from death. But instead God saves us from himself. And he does in by punishing himself since Jesus is God. There is no justice in PSA for the guilty was not punished, but the innocent. That by definition is injustice. PSA is a theological pretzel, a mess.
Those who believe in the doctrine of PSA misunderstand the Tri-Unity of God. No matter how much they will deny that fact its true. PSA teaches a fracture Trinity, a separation of the Godhead. A Dis-Unity of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. An angry god who is pouring out his vengeance, anger, retribution on his own son- that stems from paganism, greek philosophy, and gnosticism.
Restoring the Character of God in the Atonement
Nowhere does God say His Son was guilty of anything on the cross or that justice was served or demanded by the Father towards the Son. The same goes with wrath. Its not found in Scripture but in the teachings of men.
Gods justice is served via the faithfulness of Christ (
Romans 1:16-17,
Romans 3:21-22. )
Romans 5:1- Because we have been justified out of the faith/faithfulness, we have peace with God.
God has made us right/just by the faithfulness of Christ, by which we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. God has done this apart from the law.
Romans 3:21. Gods "justice " is served by the faithfulness of Christ. Jesus is the righteous servant, the one who brings forth justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:1-4. He is the covenant, the new covenant
Romans 10:4, Hebrews 8-9, the one whom the law is fulfilled and the one who reveals Gods righteousness/the just one for the nations both Jew and Gentile.
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. For it reveals the justice of God from faith to faith-
Romans 1:16-17. Gods love, grace, mercy and redemption are at the center of the cross.
The cross if anything was injustice. The murder of the innocent is injustice in any court of law. He was tried on false charges by false witnessses, convicted without evidence and murdered without due process of the law. They killed Him, not God. His life was taken unlawfully and injustice was served. The very ones He came to save murdered Him. Those who commit murder as the law of God states must die, but Jesus murderers lived. Thats injustice. The entire penal aspect of the atonement is a farce.
If the killing of Jesus was a "righteous" act that pleased God then why would those who murdered Him need forgiveness ? The fact is a crime was committed by those who killed Jesus and were guilty for His death. There was no justice but injustice in His death. I will be adding more of this to my paper on the Nature of God in the Atonement exposing more false teachings of PSA.
This is exactly what it say in Isaiah 53- we considered Him smitten, not God. Its the people who put Him on trial and killed Him. His cross was a crime uf unjust punishment. There is no law of retribution in the atonement that is what PSA advocates would have us believe. The cross is about REDEMPTION not retribution.
James 2:13- For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Romans 3:25- God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement( mercy seat, expiation) through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished
Gods justice leads to mercy which results in forgiveness. Jesus atonement for our sins is an act of God showing His grace, mercy, love, forgiveness and redemption via His Son. The Just ( Jesus ) for the unjust ( us sinners ).
The purpose of the Incarnation is that the Eternal Son identifies with us in our humanity, becomes sin for us, bears our sins, destroys sin and the devil and his works, and restores/reconciles us with God as our substitute. The atonement has nothing to do with wrath and retribution, but forgiveness and restoration. The Son diverts wrath, it is passed over since He is the Passover. Gods wrath falls upon the sinner, the unbeliever, the unfaithful, the reprobate, wicked- never on the innocent, the faithful, believers, saints, etc.....
The Berean model of the Atonement- Covenantal,Redemptive,Passover, Substitution, Forgiveness.
While historical theology often compartmentalizes the Atonement into separate theories, the
Berean View recognizes that Christ Himself presented a unified, four-fold reality: He is the
Passover who shields us, the
Substitute who represents us, the
Ransom who liberates us, and the
Forgiveness that restores us.
The Double Jeopardy of Justice: If Jesus is "punished" for our sins, and then the sinner is also held accountable or warned of judgment, PSA suggests a God who demands "double payment." If the debt was "paid," there is no "mercy" or "forgiveness"—there is only a transaction.
The Violation of Divine Law: God’s own Law (Deuteronomy 24:16) states:
"Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin." By claiming God killed His Son for our sins, PSA advocates are essentially accusing God of
violating His own holy Law.
The Retributive Model (PSA):A judge who is "bound" by a law of anger, who must strike
someone to be satisfied. He chooses the only innocent person in the room. This is
Arbitrary Wrath.
The Redemptive Model (Berean):A King who enters the prison cell of the guilty, takes the chains upon Himself, and leads the prisoners out through His own
Faithfulness. This is
Covenant Mercy.
1. The Passover - The Shield: The Passover Lamb and the Defeat of Death. God is our Protector
The Passover isn't about God "striking" a substitute; it’s about the Blood as a Sign of Life that causes the Destroyer (Death/Sin) to pass over.
The Berean Distinction: Jesus is the Lamb whose life protects the household. The Father isn't the one "swinging the sword" at the Lamb; the Father is the one
providing the Lamb to save the family from the plague of Sin.
2. Substitution- The Representative: The Faithful Substitute and the New Humanity- God is our Participant
The Berean Distinction: Jesus is a
Representative Substitute. He stands
with us and
for us in the "prison cell" of humanity. He takes our place in the experience of death so that His life can become ours. It is "The Just for the Unjust," but as an act of
Rescue, not
Retribution.
3. Ransom- The Liberator: The Ransom Price and the End of Slavery to Sin. God is our Victor
The Berean Distinction: The "payment" or "ransom" isn't paid to an angry Father to "buy off" His wrath. Instead, the life of Christ is the price paid to
Death and the Devil to break their legal claim on humanity. It is a liberation mission.
4. Forgiveness of Sins- The Restorer: The Mercy Seat and the Forgiveness that Triumphs over Judgment. God is our loving Father
The Berean Distinction: Forgiveness is an
Expiation (cleaning/removal) of sin, not a
Propitiation (appeasing) of an angry deity. God forgives because it is His nature (Exodus 34:6-7), and the Cross is the ultimate evidence of that pre-existing heart of God based upon love.
conclusion: When we stop trying to save God from Himself through the lens of PSA, we finally see the God who saves us from sin and death through the unified mission of the Trinity
