THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART (THAT IS, THE WORD OF FAITH THAT WE PROCLAIM); BECAUSE, IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED.  FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES AND IS JUSTIFIED, AND WITH THE MOUTH ONE CONFESSES AND IS SAVED.  ROMANS 10:8-10

I confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart!  Thank you Jesus!  Atonement refers to the needed reconciliation between sinful humans and the holy God.  It is only possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  It is completely satisfied but Jesus.  We are justified by Jesus’s death and resurrection to be in a loving relationship with Jesus.  The whole process of atonement is describe in detail in Leviticus 16.  We need to start there in our understanding.

LEVITICUS 16- 

In the New Testament, we can use the word atonement with the word reconciliation.  Romans 5:11 talks about this.

ROMANS 5:8-11- BUT GOD SHOWS HIS LOVE FOR US IN THAT WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.  SINCE, THEREFORE, WE HAVE NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, MUCH MORE SHALL WE BE SAVED BY HIM FROM THE WRATH OF GOD.  FOR IF WHILE WE WERE ENEMIES WE WERE RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON, MUCH MORE, NOW THAT WE ARE RECONCILED , SHALL WE BE SAVED BY HIS LIFE.  MORE THAN THAT, WE ALSO REJOICE IN GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHOM WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED RECONCILIATION.  

1 Corinthians 15:12- 19- Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.  We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  BUT IN FACT CHRIST HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD!