Excerpt from the first of four letters written by Cleve that we've entitled, "Atonement."

"The basic and simple idea of atonement is 'to cover'—to reconcile. Atonement can be made only for the guilty. There is no possible way that atonement could be made for the innocent. The Hebrew word for atonement is “kaphar” to cover—a covering. 'It is the blood that makes a covering for the soul'—Lev. 17:11. The Bible declares that all are guilty. . . .There is no age of Innocence, there is an age (time) of ignorance. 1 Tim. 1:13. Unbelief is essentially ignorance. Paul here declares that this ignorance of unbelief was the only ground upon which he obtained mercy. Then atonement was made for this ignorance of unbelief. Luke 23:34. 'They know not what they do.' Did God hear Christ’s prayer here? Upon what ground could they be forgiven except that of atonement? Acts 3:17; 1 Cor. 2:7-8."