What does the word atonement mean?
Atonement means being made at one with God Himself. It is accomplished as a result of the shed blood and the work of the cross. The term describes the reconciliation whereby sinners are brought into unity with God through that divine provision.
Les Feldick explains that the word atonement means we have been made at one with God Himself as a result of the shed blood and the work of the cross. He emphasizes that this oneness with God is accomplished through the cross, not by human effort. In the surrounding passage, Les notes that Paul bridges information about Adam's sin and its consequences that is not found elsewhere in Scripture, but the core meaning of atonement remains the reconciliation with God through the finished work of the cross.