Topical Bible: The Atonement: Typified

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The concept of atonement is central to Christian theology, representing the reconciliation between God and humanity through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, various types and shadows prefigure this ultimate act of atonement, providing a rich tapestry of symbolism that points to the redemptive work of Christ.

1. The Sacrificial System

The sacrificial system established in the Mosaic Law serves as a primary typification of atonement. The Book of Leviticus outlines various offerings, including the sin offering and the guilt offering, which were instituted to atone for the sins of the people. Leviticus 17:11 states, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life." This verse underscores the necessity of a blood sacrifice for atonement, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.

2. The Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is a significant typological event described in Leviticus 16. On this day, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of Israel. Two goats were used: one was sacrificed, and the other, the scapegoat, was sent into the wilderness, symbolically carrying away the sins of the people. This ritual prefigures Christ's dual role as both the sacrificial offering and the bearer of sin, as described in Hebrews 9:12 : "He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption."

3. The Passover Lamb

The Passover lamb is another profound typification of atonement. In Exodus 12, the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a lamb without blemish and apply its blood to their doorposts, so the angel of death would pass over their homes. This act of deliverance prefigures Christ as the Lamb of God, whose blood delivers believers from the bondage of sin and death. As stated in 1 Corinthians 5:7 , "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

4. The Bronze Serpent

In Numbers 21, the Israelites, plagued by venomous snakes, were instructed to look upon a bronze serpent set upon a pole to be healed. This event typifies the atonement, as Jesus Himself referenced it in John 3:14-15 : "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." The lifting up of the serpent symbolizes Christ's crucifixion, through which healing and salvation are offered to all who believe.

5. The Binding of Isaac

The binding of Isaac, or the Akedah, in Genesis 22, serves as a typological foreshadowing of the atonement. Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac parallels God's offering of His only Son, Jesus. The substitution of the ram in place of Isaac prefigures the substitutionary atonement of Christ, who takes the place of sinners. Hebrews 11:17-19 reflects on this event as a demonstration of faith and a foreshadowing of resurrection.

6. The Temple Sacrifices

The sacrifices offered in the Temple, particularly the burnt offerings, peace offerings, and sin offerings, collectively typify the comprehensive nature of Christ's atonement. Each offering highlights different aspects of reconciliation, peace, and purification, all fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus. As Hebrews 10:1 states, "The law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves."

These typologies collectively illustrate the multifaceted nature of atonement, pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. Through these Old Testament types, believers gain a deeper understanding of the profound significance of Christ's atoning work.

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Genesis 4:4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect to Abel and to his offering:
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Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaks.
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Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.
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Hebrews 11:17,19
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
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Exodus 12:5,11,14
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
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1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
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Exodus 24:8
And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.
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Hebrews 9:20
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God has enjoined to you.
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Leviticus 16:30,34
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
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Hebrews 9:7,12,28
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
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Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.
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Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
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Library

The Fact of the Redeemer's Return was Foreshadowed in the Ritual ...
... annual Day of Atonement foreshadowed not only the cross-work of Christ and His present
session at God's right hand but that it also typified and looked forward ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/5 the fact of the.htm

Love in the Old Covenant.
... To see the atonement typified in the promises of the ceremonial sacrifice is one
thing, to look at it as finished on Calvary is quite another; and the ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxix love in the old.htm

Ninth Day. Holiness and Mediation.
... And yet the very Day of Atonement, in which he might enter into the Most ... Among the
many points in which the high priest typified Christ as our sanctification ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/ninth day holiness and mediation.htm

Preface.
... example, of any direct and specific statement of the doctrine of Atonement, in this ...
The Great High-Priest, like the Levitical priest who typified Him, did not ...
//christianbookshelf.org/shedd/sermons to the natural man/preface.htm

Sundry Exhortations.
... high-priest, into the holiest place on the day of atonement, were carried ... The former
typified our participation in Christ's death, the latter the separateness ...
/.../chapter xvi sundry exhortations.htm

Fifth Sunday in Lent
... people. This ceremony typified that Christ, the true Priest, should once
die for us, to obtain for us the true atonement. But the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/fifth sunday in lent.htm

Leviticus.
... 3. Pure nation, offering for sin on the day of atonement, Chs.16-17. 4. Marriages,
Ch.18. ... (b) the lessons or truths typified by each goat and bird. ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter iii leviticus.htm

Entire Sanctification in Type.
... The holy priest, under the law typified the holy priest, who is a priest ... Surely,
here is atonement by blood, and cleansing by the washing of water through the ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter iv entire sanctification in.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... of the heavenly sanctuary, to perform the closing work of atonement, preparatory
to ... priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /23 what is the sanctuary.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... the heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing work of atonement preparatory to ... high
priest represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 23 what is the.htm