Is God an angry God? There is a problem of humanising God with people who say no. Some who say yes also idolise a humanised god. But in brief, the Lord hates sin and all that is demeaning of his glory and goodness. "The Atonement", by Leon Morris, is a condensed treatment of the propitiation - the turning away of God's anger - achieved at the crucifixion of Jesus, His only Son. I remember the rich meaning Morris made of the "Cross" when I read it, shortly after I became a Christian at 14.Similar treatises and books have been written throughout history on the atonement. Paul is the first one to have done so at length in his letter to the Romans. Followed by church fathers who formed the Nicean Creed (though for a slightly different purpose of refuting Arianism and other heresies). The Reformation were full of people, such as Luther, Calvin, who continued this tradition. To this day, it is the most important aspect of Christian faith that is attacked, scorned and abused at the scoffer's expense. I think if you do not see the beauty of God's character in sacrificing His one and only Son so that our sins are paid for and punished, then you cannot be sure about your salvation, your right state with God or understand the full extent of His love and justice. As I said, many say yes and no to atonement a priori are idolisers of a humanised god, not the God of the Old and New Testament as revealed in the Law, Prophets and His Son.
Morris goes through the Old and New Testaments thematically to look at big headings of atonement. Covenant (promise), Sacrifice, Day of Atonement, Passover, Redemption, Reconciliation, Propipiation and Justification. Not only does he do a good job at the Bible explanations, but there are hugely important daily ramifications of understanding the atonement and its themes. What does it say about our guilt feelings? Where does the death penalty fit in? What does it mean for freedom from sin in our lives? The atonement overshadows every aspect of the Christian life.
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