There is power in words for both good and bad. Solomon tells us: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Prov 12:18).We must be careful in what we say. One of the issues is how the other person understands what we say and their connotations with the words we use. Words may have several meanings and some quite different. So the study and understanding of “words” is important.Fortunately, most words don’t have so many meanings. Paul warns us about “an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words” (1 Tim 6:4). While Paul urged caution in what we say, He himself, focused on the meaning of words. So the meaning of a word is sometimes very important. For example, he clarified the meaning of a word, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ” (Gal 3:16).I want to look at the meaning of a word that is translated by the King James Version as “atonement” and other translations use “reconciliation.” The Greek word also means “restoration.” The imagery behind this word takes us back to the Old Testament where in Leviticus chapter 5 it details the necessary offerings or sacrifices for various sins. A person was to bring their offering to the priest who would perform the sacrifice for your sin.Now the New Testament teaches us that these sacrifices were not “perfect” that they had to be offered continually every year and that these animal sacrifices did not actually remove sin (Heb. 10:1-4). But the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a perfect sacrifice. His was a sinless human sacrifice. This sacrifice only needed to be offered one time and His sacrifice was for all. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Heb. 10:14; 7:27).Christ became our atoning sacrifice. 1 John 2:2 says, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” In John uses a different Greek word and it is sometimes translated “propitiation,” which also refers to an atoning sacrifice. We were bought by Christ’s precious blood, that is, He atoned for our sins (see Gal. 3:13-15, 1 Pet. 1:19).When we understand this one word, atonement, we will sing, as we have never sung before,
