The effects of the atonement of Christ are very broad, retrospective as
well as future. Every blessing, material or spiritual, that has come to man in the history
of the world is on the ground of the death of Christ. The rain, the sunshine, the fruits
of the earth, the covenant of night and day, the cycle of the seasons and every other
temporal blessing has the same reason behind it. Without it God must have withheld any and
every blessing, for man has forfeited every claim by sin. The very breath the blasphemer
uses to curse the name of God, he owes to the propitiation of Christ; the fact that
God’s judgment lingers, that the Gospel is preached are other effects of the same
cause. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself NOT IMPUTING THEIR
TRESPASSES UNTO THEM" (2 Cor. 5:19).
The effects of the atonement for believers will take eternity to
appreciate all that it means of forgiveness, life, victory and glory. We are cleansed,
forgiven, justified, sanctified, and made nigh through faith in the atoning blood. We can
go further and sing, "Our every joy in earth and heaven, we owe it to Thy
blood". "And not only so, but also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation)" (Rom. 5:11).
But the Atonement has a still wider application. In Leviticus we read
that atonement was made for the Holy Place, Tabernacle and Altar (chap. 16:16-20). But why
for places? How can "things in heaven" be "reconciled" (Col. 1:20)? The
Universe is a great whole. Sin has made its entrance even into the heavenly sphere. A note
of discord has been introduced into the universal harmony. Now there is no thought in the
Scriptures of the effects of the Atonement being applied to the fallen angels; they sinned
against the light of heaven. But the defilement of their guilt on heavenly things must be
removed, the discordant note of their rebellion attuned, satisfaction paid to the insulted
Majesty of Heaven, the future stability of the Universe assured, and a solid and enduring
foundation laid for the eternal glory of the Triune God. ALL THIS IS GUARANTEED BY THE
ATONEMENT OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
"To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and ever, Amen" (Jude 25).