This word is of supreme Theological importance in the Old Testament and is central to identifying the remission of sin! The word means to cover but it does not mean to conceal. It means to impose something to change our appearance or nature! Sinners are reconciled to God by imposing something that would appease the offended party which is God! It is like writing a new contract! It means the writing over of a contract or cancelling the contract. In this case the old contract was the wages of sin was death! The sinner is covered in righteousness! God does not conceal our sin but changes our very nature! If He would just hide our sin we would just keep on sinning! Our attitude about sin is changed! We see our destructive ways are offensive to man and God. We see our selfishness displayed before us! If we view the atonement as just a covering then we are like the hog that gets a bath and then goes back into the swamp! If our nature is changed then we no longer love the swamp! Paul warned us about crucifying Jesus over and over again! That is to use the atonement as a license to sin! Jesus said we must be born again! In fact we cannot enter Heaven unless we are born again! We exchange our old nature for a new nature! When my old nature tries to come back i remind it of the Cross! God changes us without destroying our personality! We retain our soul, mind and body! Our new nature is like a miraculous transformation! Satan if permitted will destroy our mind, soul and body! The blood of Christ has redeemed us! We were redeemed over 2000 years ago and today we have to recognize Him and the atonement! When i got saved back in 1973 i did not understand all this but i knew something miraculous happened when i came to Christ! My sin and the penalty of death was judged on the Cross! Christ paid for my sin! This is the essence of the atonement! When we see the truth and act upon it we become born again! All things become new and old things are passed away! My grandfather Edgar used to say the Sasse family was good while they were sleeping! Now through Christ i am good while awake! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com