Day 53: Jesus is Our Only Atonement

For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation. ROMANS 5:6–11, EMPHASIS MINE

I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED WORKING as a lifeguard during the summers when I was in high school and college. I liked wearing a bathing suit to work, getting to work outside, and getting to meet all kinds of people. Furthermore, most of the “rescues” I performed weren’t all that serious. I calmed down lots of panicked tourists who’d gotten in a tad over their head, had to shoo a juvenile gator out of the area a time or two so they wouldn’t get near the swimmers, and once had the awkward task of getting a very large, very loud woman unstuck from her inner tube so, truth be told, Johnson’s baby oil was the real hero that afternoon. But every now and then, I had the privilege of helping someone who was in serious trouble. And once, I almost went under myself while helping a would-be drowning victim.

It happened one Saturday when I was lifeguarding at a state park in Central Florida called Wekiva Springs, where the water is crystal clear and a constant seventy-two degrees—which can feel surprisingly cold on a ninety-five-plus degree Central Florida day. We typically had to make several rescues each weekend because, due to the clarity of the spring water, people often didn’t realize how deep it was. And sometimes their energy ebbed before they were able to swim back to shallow water—which is exactly what happened to a woman that day. The minute I saw her flailing arms and bobbing head (right after I’d wolfed down the last bite of a chili cheese dog from the snack stand), I knew she was in trouble and immediately dove into the water to get her out.

When I reached her, I put her in a basic lifeguard hold and tried to calm her by assuring her she would be back on dry land in just a few minutes. I had pulled lots of big swimmers out of that deep area before, so I didn’t think this petite dog-paddler would be any problem. But soon I was having a hard time keeping my head above water too. The woman was so much heavier than I expected. I strained with all my might, mentally chastising myself for scarfing down a chili-cheese dog while on the clock, and collapsed to the ground heaving with exhaustion (and processed pork nausea) when we finally made it back to shore. Which is when her husband—who, unbeknownst to me, had been hanging onto her legs the whole way—came sputtering up from the water behind her and began thanking me profusely for saving them both from drowning!

Much like my younger and leaner (despite inhaling copious amounts of chili cheese dogs) self in that red bathing suit, most people don’t realize the weight of unconfessed sin they’re lugging around. Because we’re now living in an era where the majority of culture no longer frames its ethics by Judeo-Christian standards, the word sin now sounds like a relic in the museum of church history, leaving many ignorant of its life-threatening capacity. And you’ll find no shortage of podcasts, books, and popular preachers who think it should remain hidden away in some dusty doctrinal corner because sin is a bitter, self-incriminating reality to chew on. Making it the theme of one’s party guarantees most of the guests will leave early. However, without some comprehension of sin’s gravity, it’s impossible for us to appreciate the grace Jesus lavished on us through His atoning death on the cross.

Atonement is another word you rarely hear broadcasted these days either, but we should circulate a petition for its comeback because its meaning is glorious! In theological context, atonement refers to how Jesus Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice satisfied the demands of God’s just wrath upon sin. In other words, we were drowning, y’all—running out of breath, facing certain death and eternal separation from God—until the Messiah dove into the swirling waters of humanity to save us through His death on the cross. He died the death we deserved, on our behalf, so that we’d never have to taste death in eternity! And His wasn’t a split-second decision either, because Peter explained our rescue had been God’s plan all along: “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things” (Acts 3:17–18 nlt, emphasis mine).

Even though Jesus knew that loving us would lead to the cross, we’ve been on His mind before time began. Which takes a ton of weight off our prone-to-wander shoulders, doesn’t it?

• READ 1 JOHN 2:1–2. How have you experienced this biblical truth personally?
• READ GALATIANS 3:3. How does your heart resonate with this verse? Does it provoke more guilt or gratitude?
• RESEARCH THE PHRASE “penal substitution.” (If you’ve never heard it before, it may sound a tad tawdry, but I promise it isn’t!) How would you restate this view of atonement to a child or a non-Christian?