Section 9
satisfy the demands of the other. If the offend ing party is to appease the offended party, he must fulfill his demands. The Septuagint uses the word hilasmos for the word atonement in Leviticus 25:9 and in Numbers 5:8 because this Greek word means to conciliate two parties and make them one.
The word atone is composed of two words, "at" and "one." We may write the word atonement this way: at-one-ment. The meaning of atone ment is to bring two parties into one. When two parties have been separated and seek to be in oneness, there is the need for propitiation. The action of propitiation is atonement. Propitiation means to make us one with God because there had been a separation between us and God. What was the problem that kept us from God, that made it impossible to have direct fellowship with Him? The problem was our sins. Our sins kept us away from God's presence and hindered God from coming to us. Therefore, we needed propiti ation to appease God's demands. Christ accom plished this on the cross when He offered Himself as the propitiatory sacrifice. On the cross He propitiated for us and brought us back to God, making us one with God.