Atonement and Repentance: Why Are Christians Celebrating Yom Kippur?

Yom Kippur is considered a primarily Jewish holiday and is even called the Holiest Holy Day of the year on the Hebrew calendar! Yet the number of Christians celebrating Yom Kippur (the day of atonement for sin) is growing. What does this biblical Holy Day have to do with the Christian faith?

Through our Biblical roots, Christians can bring the Biblical Holy Days into their faith and make these traditions their own. We can further follow our Rabbi Jesus and enrich our faith by obeying the Biblical commands of his Father that he obeyed, including the observance of Yom Kippur. 

A Biblical Holy Day

In Leviticus 23, commands for observing seven Feast Days are listed. This list is also found in Numbers 29:7-11.

”The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  ‘On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.  If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.  As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.  It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.’”

Lev. 23:26-32 (NASB)

Yom Kippur is to be observed on the 10th day of the month of Tishrei on the Biblical calendar. Biblical days are from evening to evening instead of morning to morning (Gen. 1:5), so Yom Kippur starts on the evening of the 9th day of Tishrei. It occurs in September or October on our Gregorian calendar. It comes ten days after Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah in Hebrew). The ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe.

Called Yom HaKippurim (literally, the day of coverings, cancelings, pardonings, or reconcilings) in Hebrew, the command includes a holy convocation, humbling or afflicting the soul, offering sacrifices, and taking the day as a Sabbath. In the Old Testament, it was the one time of the year when the high priest offered a sacrifice to atone for his sin and that of the people of Israel. You can find the detailed procedure for this in Leviticus 16.

Blood Sacrifice

Throughout the Bible, it’s clear that all sin separates us from God and leads to death. The only way to pardon or atone for our sin is through a blood sacrifice. 

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” 

Lev. 17:11 (NASB)

^“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” 

Heb. 9:22 (NASB)

These verses show just how vital this Day of Atonement was in the days before Jesus! Yom Kippur was the only day the priest could offer this type of sacrifice and the only time throughout the year that the Israelites could have their sins forgiven on a corporate level.

Yom Kippur Observation Today

Orthodox Jews consider the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur a time of judgment. The belief is that on Rosh Hashanah, God writes the names of the righteous in the Book of Life, and those that are evil are listed in the Book of Death. Whether or not one’s name will be recorded in the Book of Life can be affected by their actions during this 10-day period.

On this somber day, referred to as a Great Sabbath or High Sabbath, Jewish people practice a 25-hour fast. They also attend synagogue services where specific prayers are said and scriptures are read. They focus on repentance for sin from God and others and examine their life to see where changes need to be made to move toward righteousness.

A Christian Yom Kippur?

As Christians, we have accepted the gift of Jesus as the single, eternal sacrifice that atones for our sin. Because of this, we no longer need to seek atonement as individuals. Instead of making Yom Kippur irrelevant to us, this makes this Holy Day even more meaningful!

On Yom Kippur, we can celebrate because our sins have been atoned for once and for all by Jesus. Yom Kippur also moves us to sadness because there are still those who have not yet turned to him. We should have remorse over our sin and repent it in our lives and communities. Though these are emotions we should have continually as Christians, a day set aside helps us focus on these and discuss them with God and our families.

Celebration and Repentance

What does a focus on sin, atonement, and repentance look like for a Christian family? Here are some things to include in your Yom Kippur to bring out the meaning and weave its concepts into your family’s legacy.

1. Pray

Set aside time to spend with God – alone and as a family. Thank Him for the gift of Jesus and the forgiveness, deliverance, and salvation we have because of his sacrifice. Confess sin in your life and community and commit to turning from it to a better, Godlier path.

2. Humble your Soul

This humbling is usually done in the form of fasting. The Bible doesn’t specifically say to fast on this day, though. Some people practice this humbling or affliction by giving something up, like time or money, instead. Be sure to use whatever you choose only to bring yourself closer to God. Remember when Jesus rebuked those who used fasting as an outward action instead of a way to get their heart focused on God (Matt. 6:16-18)? What they were doing wasn’t honoring God, and neither is anything else we do in His name that brings attention to ourselves and not glory to Him.

If you plan to fast, pray whenever you experience hunger pangs. The Bible often positively pairs fasting with praying, so do them together and, in doing so, bring blessing into your life and glory to God.  

Plan for a large meal on the evening of Yom Kippur so that everyone doesn’t start the fast hungry and has some calories to work off of for the next 25 hours. Make the meal that will break the fast ahead of time so it’s ready when the fast is over. I’m guessing that no one in your house will be in the mood to labor over a meal that evening, and everyone will want something to eat as soon as possible!

3. Forgive and seek forgiveness

Colossians 3:13 says that we must forgive others as we have been forgiven. Make this day the day you leave behind that grudge or bitterness you’ve been hanging on to, and let the healing begin in that relationship. On that same note, be honest with yourself about who you may need to ask for forgiveness. Decide to honor God on Yom Kippur by putting your pride aside, humbling yourself, and admitting where you wronged someone else. I do know how difficult this is! Read James 4:6-10 for encouragement.

4. Hear what God has to say to you

Spend some time in God’s word on this Sabbath day. Here are some scriptures to read and meditate on to get you in the right mindset for Yom Kippur.

Leviticus 16, 17:10-13, and 23:26-32

Numbers 29:7-11

Jonah (the whole book – it’s short!)

Isaiah 53 and 58:1-12

Matthew 6:14-15 and 6:16-18

Romans 3:9-26 and 6:20-23

Colossians 1:13-23 and 3:12-17

Hebrews 4-10

James 4:6-10

5. Make it a holy convocation

A convocation is an assembly or gathering. For it to be holy, it needs to be set apart to God. For the Israelites, this meant gathering as a nation before God. Here are a few things you could do to incorporate a holy convocation into your observation of Yom Kippur.

• Find your nearest Messianic Jewish congregation and visit. The UMJC and the Messianic Covenant are some great places to start to find the one closest to you. Also check out How to Find a Hebraic Congregation.
  
• Gather together with fellow believers. Plan and discuss Yom Kippur with your believing friends. If they’re interested, invite them over and read scriptures, pray, and fellowship together.

• Gather as a family. Have everyone stop their daily activities and come together to focus on the reason for this Holy Day. Talk about the concepts of Yom Kippur – sin, atonement, salvation, repentance, and forgiveness. Open up and be real with each other about where you are in your spiritual walk. Read scripture and pray together as a family. 

6. Wear White

Wearing white on Yom Kippur is an outward expression of our acknowledgment of and gratefulness for the purity we receive through the forgiveness of our sins. It serves as both a reminder and an object lesson throughout the day, especially for children!

More and more Christians are celebrating Yom Kippur because, through it, we can focus on repentance – our own and that of our community – and thank God for providing us a way to atone for our sins through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Isaiah 53:6 says that Jesus took all our sins onto himself. Wow. We are so undeserving yet SO loved, Brothers and Sisters!