The Theories of Atonement and the Impact on the Christian Life Jesus Christ lived on earth more than 2000 years ago (John 1:14). He interacted with mankind, both Jew and Gentile (Matthew 8:5-13), as the human offspring of a woman (Matthew 1:18), married to a carpenter in Nazareth (Mark 6:1-6). However, the issue is not whether he was human but rather his deity as the Son of God. Moreover, it is specifically of import to testify of the significance of his resurrection after his horrendously brutal death. Thus, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pinnacle of Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15: 12-19) and the theology of atonement must be brought into view and examined. Atonement Theories
Over the years four theories or models have risen to prominent discussion with various levels of agreement and contention. Atonement is the method whereby humanity’s sins are forgiven and amends made (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:19,20). As such, “[one] could atone for his sin only by suffering eternally the penalty affixed to transgression” (Berkhof, n.d. p. 2). The atonement models for consideration are: Satisfaction, Christus Victor, Exemplar and Penal Substitution. The value of each will be considered and weighed by scriptural and theological mass.
Satisfaction
According to Bird, “St. Anselm of Canterberry (1033-1109) avowed…the satisfaction theory identifies Jesus’ death as a means by which restitution is made [to God] as an alternative to punishment” (2013, p. 397).
Also, there would not be Christianity without the incarnation, atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when God took human form through his Son, Jesus became fully human and God. He was the Messiah that Gods people longed for to save humanity from a sinful life (“Lecture 4”, 2017). Also, it is important to understand as a Christian that before Jesus Christ died humanity could not enter Gods Holy Kingdom after they passed because humanity was sinful. God sacrificing his son was a way to lay a path for humanity to follow if they choose to and if they follow Gods commandments can join God in his holy Kingdom after they pass away (“Lecture 4”, 2017). The truth of the Bible is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Even though the incarnation was torturous Jesus knew it would be and God new how much torcher was needed to make clear that reconciliation accrued. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but he is also our Godhead or divine Trinity. He is humanity’s
Atonement by Ian McEwan 1. Some key events of Atonement are- • Briony sees her sister and her sister’s boyfriend out the window. Briony thinks something bad is happening, but her sister is only swimming into the pond to find parts of a broken vase. • Briony realizes that she doesn’t want her play to be performed so she rips up the poster of her play and stops rehearsing it. • Robbie accidently gives Briony the letter for Cecilia that tells of his sexual desire for her instead of the one that tells how sorry he is for breaking the vase.
Jesus was the son of God, who was created by God and the second person within the trinity. God is viewed as the father, the son, and the holy spirit, according to the Christian worldview. Jesus was created from God planting a seed in Virgin Mary. Jesus was thus born to spread the word about God and all the gospel. Jesus lived a life as a human as all of us do now. He experienced a lot of things we as human’s experience. Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins where he died on the cross. Jesus is important to the Christian worldview because he is the ultimate reason we are who we are today. “God is both holy and just, so although he created humanity to be immortal, he could not accept them into his holy kingdom in their sinful state (Lecture 5). After Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross, this served as redemption and it was then that god allowed them into the
Anselm, sometimes thought of as the first philosopher of Christianity, practiced scholasticism, and in his writings he attempted harmonizing faith and reason. A piece of writing he is author of is called Meditation on Human Redemption. Anselm touches on a variety of topics in this writing. The three major points this document covers are the concept of why God the Father is not able to simply forgive all of humanity’s sins, how justice is to be brought about once humans sin, and how Jesus Christ paid the debts for humanity.
The atonement has the power to free individuals from shame for their sins by offering forgiveness and grace. As a believer accepts God’s grace with a repentant heart, the power that Satan had over their lives dissipates (Arnold, 2011). This allows them to move forward without the weight and shame their shame originally caused. Romans 3:23-26 reminds believers that all men sin and therefore fall short of the Glory of God. However, in God’s divine forbearance, our sins can be set aside and we can be just because of our faith in Jesus. The gift of grace itself brings healing to the sinner’s humanity. It stops the cycle of sin and despair, helping the believer rise out of their darkness and as their faith grows, so does their ability to make
Repentance was not an acceptable path to redemption due to its’ limited power. Athanasius argues that repentance is fine for a minor offence, but inadequate to turn men away from the death that they have brought on their own soul. For repentance does not “call men back from what is their nature – it merely stays them from acts of sin.” Men’s nature became subject to the rule of death, and repentance could not change
This theory presents the idea that Jesus Christ suffered instead of humanity, as a substitution for our sin. Furthermore, the sacrifice that Jesus, the perfect one, experienced, satisfied God. Perhaps, the Bible foundations that scholars have based this theory may be found mostly in the writings of Paul. For example, in (1 Corinthians 15:3) and (2 Corinthians 5:15,) which basically says that Jesus died on behalf of sinners. Further, others scriptures in which substitution and satisfaction maybe implied are found in (Romans 3:21—26; 4:25 and 5:18—21,) where it is stated that the righteous death of one man leads to exoneration and life for all.
The work of Christ through substitutionary atonement is obvious and evident throughout scripture. Author Paul Enns highlights Isaiah 53 and the “stresses” for the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death.[3] In this familiar passage, the language clearly shows how Christ (He) worked on our behalf. Terry points to Matthew 20:28 which states, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many,” as a pivotal scripture which proves substitutionary atonement. Terry also gleaned from the Apostle Paul’s teachings in Galatians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Romans 8:3 which all point to Christ’s atoning work on the cross.
The concepts of atonement and forgiveness, while similar, have slightly different connotations. Mahatma Gandhi describes forgiveness as “choosing to love” (Huffpost), giving it a more secular process where one’s sins are admonished, where atonement is primarily recognized as the reconciliation of sin or wrongdoing towards others. And while these terms share similar characteristics in a sense of general ‘mending’ of feelings, atonement bears the implication of reparation over agreement of forgiveness. This claim is reinforced by various sources such as Oedipus the King, The Scarlet Letter and The Grapes of Wrath, as well as sources that compare forgiveness and atonement, and the religious implications that come with them.
The author (2007) also points out the importance of the Roman Catholic views point about confession and penance has three significate merits to confession. The first significate merit is that consistent confession forces one to confront one’s sin, meaning that one will not merely overlook or diminish one’s transgressions; instead it will cause one to take their sin more earnestly (p 213). The second significate is that the act of penance, paying a price for sin, creates a mindfulness of the significance of sin, meaning that it will not allow one to have a carelessness understanding toward sin of thinking that one will always be simply forgiven; instead penance combats this predisposition by arresting consequences for one’s sin (p 213). The third Significate merit is that it lifts the burned of guilt by forgiveness being granted during the ritual of penance, which can be extremely redemptive for some individuals (p
Christ, being a Jew, is refocused as a teacher and Rabbi of pure truth and an example of pure living. As the lessons of Jesus and His acts of incredible healing progressed through His ministry and time on earth, how is He to be defined between the two posts of humanity and that of divinity? What of His human suffering and ultimate human death on the Cross? As such, Death on the Cross is the crucial miracle in the credibility of His divine incarnation. “The resurrection of that existence is the most decisive thing, the sole miracle, which makes all other [miracles]
Jesus was born of a virgin. God demonstrated His sovereignty over all, as a gift of grace, in Jesus’ supernatural birth. Jesus was fully human. The Word of God became flesh. His humanity made Him one of us, the only way in which He could redeem us. He came to us and lived amongst us, therefore He knows our pain. Through His sinless human existence, Jesus could fully atone for the sins of all mankind. Jesus is also fully God. In seeing Jesus, we see the Father. Jesus died and rose from the grave, demonstrating His power over death, and His right standing as the Son of God. He is the giver and sustainer of life. Jesus made the way for redemption to occur. He is worthy to be praised.
4. The principle theories of atonement are, the satisfaction theory, moral influence theory, theories compared and theories evaluated. The satisfaction theory has probably been more influential than any others. The moral influence theory arose in reaction to the satisfaction theory. It emphasizes the effects of Christ’s death on human beings. The theories compared can specify the central differences in three important positions. The theory evaluated is
"But it is more in harmony with Scripture to say that the good pleasure of God to save sinners by a substitutionary atonement was founded in the love and justice of God." (Berkhof, 1994, p. 405).
Jesus was once a presence among us, which is also one of the Atonement theories. Jesus comes to earth as a