Introduction

It is important to see that the subject of the atonement is the central truth of Christianity and the great theme of the Bible. The main reason the Bible was written is to show us the only way that people can be brought back to God. The Bible teaches it in a very simple way. Because it is in the Bible we must believe it.

Our method in this book is to look at the subject as it is taught in the Bible. We are not going to present a point of view and then try and prove it from a series of texts. This is a problem with books on the atonement.  They tend to be abstract arguing only from the way God usually works. Such arguments have their place but only if we can also show what the Bible actually teaches.

What we want to look at, then, is what Jesus actually taught. We are not chiefly interested in what human teachers have said but rather what Jesus has said. We want to turn from human feeling and reasoning to what Jesus himself says.

What we want to do in this book is to gather together everything Jesus says about his atonement - why it was necessary, what it involves, how it comes about. We feel that this aspect of the subject has not been given the attention it deserves. Surely we must all agree that what Jesus himself says about this must be most important.

As you will see from the contents page we have divided the book up into eight sections. These eight sections are then further divided up chapter by chapter. In these eight sections we will cover

1. Where to find the sayings of Jesus and how we will investigate them

2. The truths that lay behind the teaching. Here we will look at things like sin, the need for atonement, harmonising love and justice, Jesus' unique position in the covenant, the fact he is God.

3. The elements that make up the atonement and how it involves bearing sin and sinless obedience.

4. The consequences of the atonement for the individual Christian, including both his being accepted by God and his being renewed in his nature by God.

5. The way the atonement affects other things such as the defeat of Satan, the gift of the Holy Spirit, etc.

6. Who the atonement was made for.

7. The application of the atonement.

8. How man's endless happiness is decided by hi accepting or rejecting the atonement. The influence of the atonement on morals and religion.