In the theological book, Nature of the Atonement, edited by James Beilby and Paul R, the atonement is discussed as well as its many theories and views, with Jesus at the center. Many of the views of Jesus’ role vary, from depicting Jesus as either the victor, the physician, the sacrifice, and more. In this book report, four major views and theories of atonement are summarized. The four major views that will be summarized are the Christus Victor view, the Kaleidoscopic view, the Healing view, and the Penal Substitutionary view. Each of these views grant a different perspective on atonement, focusing on different pieces of scripture throughout both the Old and New Testament. Not only will these views be summarized, but also compared. The Christus …show more content…
The author reminds us multiple times that this view serves as the anchor for every other theory of atonement, because God is at the center. When comparing the Christus Victor view to the Penal Substitutionary view of atonement, many similarities and differences can be found. When compared, the Christus Victor view focuses primarily on Jesus’ victory over the evil spiritual forces once in control of the world. The author argues that the Christus Victor view does not particularly hold individuals accountable for their actions. “Even though sin is a power that holds us in bondage, such a reality does not lessen individual responsibility” (Chapter 1). The Penal Substitutionary view focuses instead on the idea that we are sinners in need of a savior and not much on the idea that we are sinners held captive by Satan and evil forces. The author argues that we are captive by the devil because we are sinners, and that the devil’s hold on us is broken when Christ took our sins on the cross. Ultimately, the Penal Substitutionary view is favored by the author because it focuses more on the idea that we are atoned because Jesus took our deserved punishment and not just because of Jesus’ victory over
One of the main principles of Christianity is the belief in both the divinity and humanity of Jesus, that these two natures are combined harmoniously in one being. In general, all modern Christians believe that Jesus was human, he was considered to be “The Word was made flesh” (John, I: 14). However, Jesus was more than just a human, despite being subjected to pain, suffering and death like all other human beings, he was sinless and also possessed the power to heal and to defy death in order to ascend, both body and spirit, into heaven. He was all man and all God, a combination of these two elements, remaining distinct but united in one being. The deity of Jesus is a non-negotiable belief in Christianity, which is referred to in many parts of scripture, “God was revealed in the flesh” (I Timothy, 3:16). The Christian faith does not perceive Jesus as God but rather a reincarnation of God, a mysterious deity who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Throughout history, controversy has surrounded the issue of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, leading to the formation of Docetism, the belief that Jesus was fully divine but not fully human, Arianism, that Jesus was superior to all of creation, but less divine than God, and Nestorius, that there were two separate persons within Jesus. This the proportion of the divine and human within Je...
Christianity falls under the category of Theism, which is the belief in only one personal god. Christian worldview believes that God sent humanity His only son so that we can learn about God and how He wants us to act. Jesus is crucified later in His life on a cross, which relieved us from losing a relationship with God due to our sins. When analyzing the Christian worldview, we learn that God came to earth in human form as Jesus Christ to experience life with humanity and restore earth back to harmony. In this paper I will discuss God, Jesus, and humanity individually, how restoration will occur, and finally, analyze and reflect on the Christian worldview.
“You must pay for everything in this world one way and another. There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You can’t earn that or deserve it” (Portis 40.) Everything you do, good or bad, carries some sort of judgment from the Lord. You might slip through the cracks from this world judgments and law, but you will be judged according to your doings, in this world by God. You can’t earn nor deserve the Grace of the Lord, because it was already given to us in the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25.) This gave us Grace to be forgiven after our sin if we repent from further sinning’s. This means you can’t go and commit a crime of revenge, knowing God’s words
“Sin finds its remedy under the fourth fundamental Christian doctrine, the atonement, worked by Jesus Christ. The orthodox understanding of the atonement sees Christ’s death as satisfying the just wrath of God over man’s sins.” Generally speaking, God has provided a way for man to escape eternally death. It’s the way for his creation to be reconciled back to him. “When Christ died, the Trinity itself split, in order to fulfill the law while providing forgiveness to humans. The doctrine that God himself keeps the law-his own law-even at so a [sic] great a cost to himself, demonstrates his most profound commitment to the rule of law. All things considered, God in the person of Jesus Christ came to earth and obeyed the laws of God without deviation he accepted the Laws of
Since atonement theories are based on one’s interpretation of Scripture, as a result there is a vast amount of differing opinions throughout sects of Christianity. Theories can be split into two categories, subjective theories and objective theories. The former focuses on the humans response to the divine, while the latter focuses on what God has done and has to do. During Bach’s time, Lutheran orthodoxy, which focused on objective theories, and Lutheran pietism, which focused on subjective theories, were at odds with each other. One can view Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion as a successful attempt to bridge the two.
John Wesley once said, “Nothing in the Christian system is of greater consequence than the doctrine of the atonement” (9). Thus, it is no surprise that the doctrine of the atonement has created debate among theologians seeking to identify the most suitable theory in understanding the heart of the saving work of Christ. The atonement means, “reconciliation, in this case between God and humans. It comes from a Middle English word, at-one-ment, which means “harmony”- literally, the state of one thing being “at one” with another” (Beilby 9). When thinking about the various theories of atonement, one may ask: Is the cross more for reconciling God’s wrath to humanity or for reconciling enslaved humanity to God? When comparing and contrasting the details of the Christus Victor and the Penal Substitution theories of the atonement, a major difference at the heart of the debate is whether or not Christ needed to die primarily to be an expiation, the Christus Victor model, or a propitiation, the Penal Substitution model. In other words, the two theological groups disagree on the
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
The Christian worldview is centered on the Gospel and places their beliefs in the essential teachings of the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (DiVincenzo, 2015). This paper will explain who God is and what he created, what our purpose and nature is as humans, who Jesus was and what he did while on earth, how God plans to bring his people back into the right relationship with himself, and as a Christian how one is to live their life with an analysis of the Christian worldview.
Erickson (1998) says there are a few theories on the atonement depending on how your read certain scripture, the theories are as follows: The Socinian Theory (1998:801); This theory speaks of Christ on the Cross as a perfect example of what kind of dedication followers of God must do, there is no connection to a sacrificial death whatsoever. The moral influence theory (1998:802); This theory believes the cross was an example of God’s love and not much more. The Governmental theory (1998:806); This theory sees the death of Christ on the Cross as atonement and also as a picture to the believer as to how serious sin is, and it must not be taken lightly. The Ransom Theory (1998:810); In this theory it is proposed, and quite popularly so, that as slaves to the world of Satan, humanity needed saving, Jesus’ death became our ransom, his death took our place. With this theory, the identity of Jesus was concealed from Satan, so he would accept the ransom. Finally the Satisfaction Theory (1998:813); This theory speaks about Christ’s death as satisfaction in place of all man-kinds sin, it also speaks against the fact Satan needed a payment of any kind, and it isn’t centred on man.
Throughout the history of Christianity, theologians have been investigating the nature of sin and paths for atonement, delving into the foundational beliefs of their religion. Modern thinkers grapple with many of the same questions, but the roots of their arguments lie deep in the texts of medieval writers who stood at the forefront of religious thought, such as Julian of Norwich and Anselm of Canterbury. In Julian’s Showings and Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo, both writers present interpretations of sin and the consequent methods of atonement through an analysis of the relationship between God and humanity. While both texts endeavor to determine the connections between God, sin, atonement and humanityespecially through the use of metaphors and parables there are marked definitions between them. While Anselm of Canterbury focuses on the effects of sin on
In this paper, I will examine Jesus’ resurrection from the dead because, according to many scholars, there is no other event in the life of Jesus that is as significant. In order to better comprehend the magnitude of this event, I will begin by looking at what can be discerned from the Resurrection of Jesus. Then, I will explore the two different kinds of resurrection testimony that there are: the confessional tradition and narrative tradition. For the confessional tradition, I will look at a few examples including St. Paul’s confession in First Corinthians which is composed of four parts: Jesus’ death, the question of the empty tomb, the third day, and the witnesses. For the narrative tradition, I will briefly examine the two sources of information
George Herbert's “Redemption” concludes that you cannot buy redemption for man's past sins. The extended metaphors of the imagery alludes to religious perspective of the theme. “Sin” deals with the Christian belief of sin in general. The metaphors create an imagery and depict the imagery of sin. “Discipline” debate God's choice of punishment upon those who sin. The diction creates a image of God's love and mercy to those who sin. “Vertue” addresses the fact that although life lasts for a short time, a virtuous soul will last forever. Its numerous imagery encourage people to be virtuous, which is the opposite of sin.
Christology: A Global Introduction Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen is associate professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and holds a teaching post at the University of Helsinki and Iso Kirja College in Finland. He is the author of Christology: A Global introduction, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical, and Global Perspectives (Back Cover). Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen presents the latest, comprehensive introduction to the various opinions about Christology from around the world.
The gospels explain Jesus’ life and death including His identity but also his activities, works, leadership and his suffering. Jesus is seen as a manifestation of God’s relationship with humans. An important fact about Jesus is the humility and modesty associated with his birth, upbringing and death. The fact that such a person ...
Is it possible to understand the gospel message, serve as an officer in a church, be sure of your salvation, and yet still not get into heaven when you die? Matthew, one of the original twelve disciples, answered this question clearly. Yes, on “that day”, many will stand before God and hear Him say, “I know you not; depart from me.” (Matthew 7:23 KJV)