October 14, 2026 | Be Connected
Jesus, the Atoning Sacrifice for Sins
Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2(NIV)
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Devotional
This verse starts off strong - “I write this to you so that you will not sin.” Great suggestion. I’ll stop sinning!
Oh if only it was that easy.
I’m going to stop sinning.
Thank goodness the passage does not end there. Thank goodness the story does not end there.
John continues: “If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” That verse could be rewritten not with “if” but with “when”. We will sin. We do sin.
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” We can, and we must atone for our sins. But we will fall short, and we will sin again. Thank God we have Jesus to atone for our sins.
We have seen in many other passages ways that people tried to atone for sins; animal sacrifices, good deeds, and some even tried to pay their way in. But Jesus is the only way.
When I was a child, I didn’t understand what Jesus dying for our sins meant. I remember one day in 8th grade confirmation it clicked, and I got it. Some days as an adult, I still don’t understand. The only analogy that I can remember is a legal one: when we break the law, we must pay the price. With the law, we pay a fine, we go to jail. Similarly when we sin (break God’s law), we must pay the price. But we cannot pay the price as our sin is too great. However, Jesus will “pay the price” for us and atone for our sins.
I like the idea and suggestion to “stop sinning”. If only it were that easy. Since I know I cannot, I am thankful to God that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
I pray a prayer of thanksgiving that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the whole world sins.
