In Christian theology, atonement refers to the means by which the relationship between God and humanity established in Eden was restored. It is how God and humanity become at-one (hence, “atone”) again. That Christianity provides an atoning solution for human malady is not controversial. However, theologians and laypeople alike have hotly debated just how atonement is achieved. While I understand that this can become a charged issue for many Christians and that various Christian traditions over the ages have taught that Jesus’s death by itself was sufficient for atonement, I want to point out that Apostle Paul disagrees. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul says that if Jesus did not rise, not merely die, they would still be in their sins. He thus makes the resurrection an essential element in the atonement process. This implies that the death of Jesus is insufficient for salvation – more on this bold claim shortly.

It is quite understandable that some Bible readers would get the impression that the death of Jesus per se effects atonement. This belief, on the surface, seems to have much biblical data for it. Here are a few:

John 1:29 ESV
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The idea here is that of the sacrificial lamb in Jewish temple rituals. Of course, John would further clarify that this lamb was slain in Revelation 5:6. Together, the verses imply that the slaying of the Lamb equals the taking away of sins.