Only One Can Atone

Sign of a Good Pastor 

A sign of good pastors is that they grieve over the sin and poor decisions of their flocks. While many in a congregation recognize that a pastor is not personally responsible for the sin and immaturity in the lives of their people, it still weighs heavily on faithful shepherds. Certainly, sin and immaturity in a church can be linked to deficiencies in teaching and doctrine. However, even with the most robust biblical instruction, members of a congregation will still sin and make poor choices.

Good pastors feel this burden deeply. It’s much like the weight parents feel over the choices of their children, whether young or grown. Parents are called to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), yet even with faithful parenting, sin and immaturity still surface. Parents may blame themselves and feel a sense of responsibility. Similarly, pastors know full well that people — whether children or church members — are accountable for their own decisions, but they still carry a burden of concern and care.

Pastors may often feel helpless in such moments. They must remind themselves that they cannot stand in the place of their people when it comes to sin. There is only one who can fully atone for and deal with human sin.

Only Jesus

In Exodus 32, we read of Israel’s rebellion in crafting and worshiping a golden calf while Moses was away meeting with God on Mount Sinai. This happened shortly after they received the commandments forbidding such idolatry. God alerts Moses to the people’s sin, and Moses descends the mountain, breaking the stone tablets as a symbol of the broken covenant. He enacts swift judgment on the people. But in verses 30–35, we see something easily overlooked: Moses’s deep love and burden for the people.

Moses tells the people they have committed a great sin and that he will return to the Lord in hopes of making atonement for them. He confesses their sin before God and pleads for their forgiveness. In a stunning request, Moses says, “But now, if you will forgive their sin, please do. But if not, then blot me out of the book you have written” (Exodus 32:32). Moses essentially offers his own life in place of the Israelites. Notably, he doesn’t bring an animal sacrifice — he offers himself. Yet God rejects this offer. He makes it clear that those who have sinned will be held accountable. Moses cannot stand in their place. He cannot serve as a substitute for their sin.

Fast forward to Romans 9. The apostle Paul expresses similar anguish over Israel’s sin and rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. His heart is heavy for his people. In verse 3, Paul declares, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (ESV). Few would dare to echo such a bold statement — willingness to endure hell itself if it could result in the salvation of others. Paul is heartbroken over the lostness of Israel, but he knows that only Jesus can save both Jew and Gentile. Only Jesus can atone for sin.

Neither Moses nor Paul could take the place of others in regard to sin. Only Jesus can — and has — done this. That is why penal substitutionary atonement is so central to the gospel. It may not be the only atonement theory discussed in theology, but it provides the foundation upon which others must stand or fall. God’s justice demands a true substitute. Neither Moses, nor Paul, nor parent, nor pastor can fulfill that role.

As 1 Timothy 2:5–6 affirms, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” Jesus stands between God and humanity as the sin-bearer, the substitute (1 Peter 2:24). It is Jesus who pleads for us before the Father.

Pastoral Exhortation

Pastors, it is good and right to grieve over your people’s sin. It is right to exhort them to flee from sin and grow into maturity in Christ. But you cannot bear their sin or atone for it. Bring their sin before Christ. Seek his face as you shepherd them. As Paul charges in 2 Timothy 4:2, “…reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” But always remember: it is Christ who has stood in their place and borne their sin. That is not your role. Your role is to point them to the One who can.