Anslem of Canterbury (A.D. 11th/12th Century) explored why God1s love is expressed through the atonement. His answer was that though prompted by His love to redeem us, God must do so in a manner consistent with His justice. The necessity of the Atonement, then, is an inference from the character of God. Sin is revolt against God and He must inevitably react against it with wrath. Sin creates an awful liability and inexorable demands of the divine justice must be met. The truth that God is love does not stand alone in the Bible. The God of the Bible keeps wrath for His enemies (Nahum 1:2); He is "of purer eyes than to behold evil" (Hab. 1:13). The God of Jesus is to be feared as One "who can destroy both body and soul in hell" (Mat 10:28). "The wrath of God," Paul wrote "is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men" (Rom 1:18). Therefore the death of Christ is the way in which God shows that He is righteous in forgiving sins and justifying him who has faith in Jesus (Rom 3:24-26). God justly demands satisfaction for one1s sins, and since by Christ1s death satisfaction is given, the sinner is forgiven and punishment remitted.

(Jesus said,) "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mat 26:28)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (Jn 1:29)

God presented (Jesus) as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the One who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus (Rom 3:25-26)

God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! ( Rom 5:8-9)

"...For Christ, our passover lamb has been sacrificed." (1 Cor 5:7)

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. God...reconciled us to Himself through Christ...not counting men1s sins against them (2 Cor 5:15, 18-19)

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteous of God. (2 Cor 5:21)

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace. (Eph 2:13-14)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (Gal 3:13)

For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in (Jesus), and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross...But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:19-22)

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (Col 2:13-14)

He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man made that is to say, not part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. (Heb 9:11-12)

In fact, the Law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb 9:22)

Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. (Heb 9:27)

This Priest (Christ)...offered for all time one sacrifice for sins...Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Heb 10:12, 14)

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect (1 Pet 1:18,19)

He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness (1Pet 2:24)

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours but also for the sins of the world. (1 Jn 2:2)

This is love; not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 Jn 4:10)

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood (Rev. 1:5)