Post Seven: As One

his love, stained on my hand

Yesterday, I asked the question: Why is it our human nature, amidst tragedy, to go first to feeling abandoned rather than redeemed? Kelly and Patrio added some beautiful thoughts to the discussion in the comments. Specifically, the Oswald Chambers' words:

We "begin to get the seal of 'damnation' when we realize Jesus Christ came to deliver us from sin, but refuse to let Him do so."

Is this what atonement is?

Honestly, whenever I see or hear the word anywhere, I immediately think of McEwan's book and make a mental-association definition. A young girl, who does something horribly wrong, strives her entire life to fix this wrong. This seems sort of at odds with what I have read in Scripture. Are we to strive to make up for our wrongs? Remember the Reformation?!?! Fine. Maybe my weak- foggy definition needs help. So now, I have to actually look up the word:

Atonement (n.): Theology- the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ. 

That's more like it. Honestly, it sounds a bit like redemption to me. We still have the question: how do we allow Jesus to deliver us from sin? Recently, in a sermon or in a book or in a movie (I am trying to be better at citations, I promise!!!), I heard that atonement is being "at one" or "as one" together. The idea of atonement between ourselves and Christ was likened to marriage. In marriage, two people come together, laying aside their individual lives. They then live ONE LIFE together. Atonement is to be as one with Christ.

The choice seems to be ours...

Why does our human nature feel so abandoned? Because we have walked away from the ONE LIFE we are called to. We leave our Edenic-walk and allow sin to reign. We make gods of ourselves and forget the Dance.

I may go so far as to say we do not truly know our Partner...