What is “Atonement”?
Overview
In sum, atonement is the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1; Heb. 10:19–22). This is best summed up in Romans 5:10–11, which says, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Alan Cairns correctly defines atonement as, “The satisfaction of divine justifce by the Lord Jesus Christ in His active and passive obedience (i.e., His life and death), which procures for His people a perfect salvation.”[1]
Stanly Grenz writes, “Atonement refers to God’s act of dealing with the primary human problem, sin.”[2]
Douglas Mangum describes atonement as, “The doctrine concerned with the removal of guilt, the covering over of sin, or the satisfaction of the penalty for sin that separated humankind from God, especially with reference to the obedience of Christ even unto death on the cross.”[3]
Bible Verses – Atonement
- Romans 5:1. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Romans 8:38–39. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Hebrews 10:19–22. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Ransom Theory
Overview
Jesus gave his life to the Adversary in exchange for ours. Robin Collins writes, “Essentially, this theory claimed that Adam and Eve sold humanity over to the Devil at the time of the Fall; hence, it required that God pay the Devil a ransom to free us from the Devil’s clutches. God, however, tricked the Devil into accepting Christ’s death as a ransom, for the Devil did not realize that Christ could not be held in the bonds of death. Once the Devil accepted Christ’s death as a ransom, this theory concluded, justice was satisfied and God was able to free us from Satan’s grip.”[4]
Bible Verses – Ransom Theory
- Mark 10:45. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
- 1 Timothy 2:5–6. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony at the proper time.
Recapitulation Theory
Overview
Christ is the new Adam who succeeds where Adam failed. Christ undoes the wrong that Adam did and, because of his union with humanity, leads humankind on to eternal life (including moral perfection). Christ, the New Adam, restored fallen humanity to full communion with God through his obedience and willingness to die. In so doing, Christ not only summed up all previous divine revelation in himself but also became the perfect man that Adam was intended to become but never achieved. Thus, Christ recapitulated Adam’s development and gave the world an example of perfect human righteousness.
Bible Verse – Recapitulation Theory
- Ephesians 1:7–10. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. He did this when he revealed to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.
Satisfaction Theory
Overview
God was dishonored by humanity’s rebellion. Jesus, in his perfect obedience as the Son of Man (i.e., the one who fulfills God’s intentions for humanity), restores/satisfies God’s honor. His active (his life) and passive (death) obedience provided a superabundant satisfaction of honor to God that there’s enough favor granted for all humanity from God based on Christ’s obedience.
Grenz on the Satisfaction Theory writes, “Originating with Anselm, an understanding of the work of Christ based on the metaphor of God as a Sovereign who, having been dishonored by sin, must receive satisfaction. Because through sin humans perpetrated the insult, only a human should provide such satisfaction, but the insult was so great that only God can do so. In that he is both God and man, Jesus Christ was able to provide the necessary satisfaction primarily through his obedient death.”[5]
Paul Enns on the Satisfaction Theory writes, “The commercial theory was set forth by Anselm (a.d. 1033–1109), who taught that through sin, God was robbed of the honor that was due Him. This necessitated a resolution that could be achieved either through punishing sinners or through satisfaction. God chose to resolve the matter through satisfaction by the gift of His Son. Through His death Christ brought honor to God, and received a reward, which He passed on to sinners. The gift was forgiveness for the sinner and eternal life for those who live by the gospel.”[6]
Moral Influence Theory
Overview
Jesus died to demonstrate God’s love for humanity which melts the icy heart of people. When we look on Jesus on the cross, it softens our hearts to the reality that God does love us and is not an enemy, thereby paving a way for reconciliation.
Bible Verses – Moral Influence Theory
- 2 Corinthians 5:14–15 (ESV). For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
- Matthew 5:43–48 (ESV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- John 15:13–17 (ESV). Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
- Romans 5:5 (ESV). And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Governmental Theory
Overview
Christ died to forgive the guilt of original sin. Where does the idea of “government” come in? Paul Enns writes, “Grotius reasoned that Christ upheld the principle of government in God’s law by making a token payment for sin through His death. God accepted the token payment of Christ, set aside the requirement of the law, and was able to forgive sinners because the principle of His government had been upheld.“[7]
Penal Substitution Theory
Overview
The wages of sin is death. All humans, except Jesus, is a sinner and owes this wage to God. Jesus paid this wage with his perfect sacrifice, thereby satisfying God’s wrath against us (propitiation) and cleansing us from sin guilt (expiation). Jesus pays the penalty that we owe has a substitute for us.
Grenz writes, “The view that speaks of sin as the breaking of God’s law, for which the penalty is death. Hence on the cross Christ suffered the death penalty in the sinner’s place and so appeased the wrath of God.”[8]
Bible Verses – Penal Substitution
- The story of the Passover in Egypt and the Passover Lamb—which is a type of Christ to come as demonstrated in Revelation—is support for penal substitution.
- The entire OT sacrificial system is demonstrative of satisfaction through vicarious suffering.
- Isaiah 52:13–53:12
- 2 Corinthians 5:21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 1 John 2:2. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
- Galatians 3:13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
- 1 Peter 3:18. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
- Colossians 2:13–15. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
- Hebrews 2:17. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
- Romans 5:8. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 3:25. Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
- Galatians 2:20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Christus Victor Theory
Overview
In his obedience life, death, and resurrection, Jesus was victorious over the power of death, sin, and ultimately Satan. By being in Christ, Christians get to participate in the victory of Christ by being free from the power and guilt of sin and ultimately bodily death.
Graham Cole defines Christus Victor as, “A theory of the atonement that accents the victory of Christ through his atoning death over the devil. This view was made famous by Swedish theologian Gustaf Aulén.”[9]
He goes on to write, “It seems to me that following the biblical plotline, the first note struck is the Christus Victor one (i.e., the defeat of evil) in the protevangelium (first gospel) set out in Genesis 3:15. But how is the evil one defeated? The grounds of accusation need to be removed that stand against us, and the fear of death that is the devil’s tool needs to be addressed as well. The cross of Christ disarms the evil one by removing the grounds of accusation against us (Col 2). Christ died in our place (1 Pet 2), experienced the righteous divine wrath that we deserve (Rom 5) and so, if we are in Christ, there is no condemnation (Rom 8). Because we stand clothed in Christ’s righteousness we will not face the divine judgment of the great white throne for our sins (Rev 20). Our names are in the Lamb’s book of life. The fear of death, which lies in judgment, is thereby addressed (Heb 2). Evangelicals in my view need to do more justice to the Christus Victor theme and in so doing find that penal substitution is integral or central to it.”[10]
Philip Almond writes, “For the early Church Fathers, the life, death and resurrection of Christ was set within the context of the historical battle between God and the Devil that ranged from the fall of Satan, before the beginning of history, until its end.”[11]
Bible Verses – Christus Victor
- Genesis 3:15. And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
- John 12:31–32. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.)
- Colossians 2:13–15. And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
- 1 John 3:8. The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.
In a Nutshell
In a nutshell, what did the cross accomplish?
- Reconciliation (Rom 5:10–11)
- Redemption (Rom 3:24)
- Justification (Rom 3:24; 5:9)
- Forgiveness of Sins (Matt 26:28; Lk 1:77)
- Peace (Is 53:5)
- Healing (Ex 15:26)
- Cleansing (1 Cor 6:11)
- An example to be followed (Phil 2:5–11)
[1] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms (Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2002), 44.
[2] Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 17.
[3] Douglas Mangum, The Lexham Glossary of Theology (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
[4] Robin Collins, Understanding Atonement: A New and Orthodox Theory
[5] Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 105.
[6] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 320.
[7] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 321.
[8] Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 90.
[9] Graham A. Cole, Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons, ed. John S. Feinberg, Foundations of Evangelical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 248.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Philip C. Almond, The Devil: A New Biography (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2014), 49.