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Atonement Theories

Biblical Reasons Jesus Died

  1. Jesus Died to Provide Eternal Life. (Revelation 5:9-10; Daniel 7:18, 27; Matthew 25:34, 46; Luke 18:29-30; Revelation 2:26-27; 22:5; etc.)
  2. Jesus Died to Reconcile Us to God. (Colossians 1:19-22; Ephesians 2:13-16; [1 Peter 3:18]; Hebrews 10:19; Ephesians 2:18-19)
  3. Jesus Died to Express Love. (John 3:16; Revelation 1:5)
  4. Jesus Died to Defeat Evil. (Hebrews 2:14-15; Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:1-3; [1 John 3:8]; Acts 26:18)
  5. Jesus Died to Provide an Example. (Philippians 2:4-10; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 12:1-3; [1 Peter 2:18-23]; [1 John 3:16; 4:10-11]; Philippians 3:9)
  6. Jesus Died to Justify Us Apart from the Law. (Romans 3:19-25; Romans 7:1-4; Galatians 3:23-26)
  7. Jesus Died to Free Us from Sin to Live Righteously. (Romans 6:1-23; 8:3-4; [1 Peter 2:24]; Hebrews 10:26-27; Hebrews 9:13-14; 10:10-14)
  8. Jesus Died for Our Sins. ([1 Corinthians 15:3]; Luke 24:26-27, 44-46; cp. [1 Peter 1:10-11]; Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 10:45, Romans 4:25; 5:6, 8; [2 Corinthians 5:14, 21]; Hebrews 2:9; 9:28; etc.)

Sacrifice, Ransom, Debt. These are metaphors to picture Jesus' death for sin, including the sacrifice of an animal, paying a ransom, and cancelling a debt.

  • Sacrifice. (John 1.29; cp. [1 Pet 1.19], etc.)
  • Ransom. ([1 Timothy 2:6]; [1 Peters 1:18-19]; Titus 2:14; Luke 1:68; 24:21; Revelation 5:9; 14:3; [1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23]; [2 Peter 2:1])
  • Debt. (Colossians 2:13-14; Matthew 18:23-35; Luke 7:41-43)

How Jesus’ Death Dealt with Our Sin

  1. Ransom Theory. Was the ransom paid to Satan? If so, is Satan God's equal? The idea that God is making a deal with Satan, a created being, sounds preposterous. If Satan is the kidnapper, why not just snuff him out.
  2. Christus Victor Theory. “Christ the conqueror” sets the cross within a cosmic battle between Satan and God. This theory says very little about human sin and the need for forgiveness. Where is personal responsibility in this theory?
  3. Moral Exemplar Theory. This cannot bear the full weight of atonement. It does not address one's relationship with God, the devil and justice.
  4. Satisfaction Theory. Dominant Catholic theology. Though he did not deserve death, owing to his perfect obedience, Christ willing obeyed to the point of death, paying God back more than he owed. The criticism is that if God demanded satisfaction by the death of His Son, then God did not forgive "freely" but simply got what He asked for. Also, the injustice doubles when the sinner is not punished but goes free, while the innocent Jesus *is* punished severely. Where is the justice in that? Further, it reduces the atonement to a transaction rather than a heart-rending sacrifice.
  5. Penal Substitution. Dominant Protestant theology. The idea that God is placated, that God's righteous wrath is appeased and His justice is satisfied. The criticism is similar to the satisfaction theory. It seems radically unjust for an innocent person to suffer on behalf of someone who is guilty. Also, it sets the Father against the Son. Jesus ends up saving us from the Father as much as from sin. If the Father could only control His anger issues, we'd all be fine. We owe more to Christ who showed us kindness than to God who, by exacting debts, showed us no kindness at all. Also, if you believe in eternal damnation, Jesus is not burning in hell right now. It seems unfair that the wicked will burn in hell forever, while Jesus was in the tomb only three days. Also, penal substitution looks suspiciously similar to pagan human sacrifice offered to appease the angry gods. The vengeful Father punishing His Son for an offence he has not even committed sounds more like cosmic child abuse. The whole idea seems contradictory to the statement "God is love." If God indeed is love, then why did He not forgive His enemies (namely, Satan and humanity) and refuse to repay evil for evil?
  6. Governmental Theory. The idea here is that God requires a punishment less than the amount he is owed while sufficiently demonstrating how serious sin is and simultaneously setting an example to both deter sin and inspire righteousness. This theory suffers from the other substitution theories among other things.
  7. Communal Substitution Theory. This theory focuses not on individual wrongs but the group wrong. So, Jesus, himself a human, offers to atone for the whole group of humanity. He offers satisfaction and/or suffers the penalty on behalf of everyone as the second Adam or representative human being. This theory is a kind of upgrade to either the Satisfaction or Penal Substitution theories.

Christ's deity in the atonement. Two advantages: (1) Being deity, Christ was of greater value than any human sacrifice; (2) God does for us what we could not do for ourselves. Three disadvantages: (1) Since Jesus is God (or God the Son), then God is being paid a debt owed to Himself--i.e. God is paying God or, said another way, God pours wrath on Himself in order not to satisfy wrath on everyone else; (2) For some, Christ as the Son of God becoming a man is as meritorious as his death which ends up diminishing his death; (3) Deity did not actually die, because deity cannot die. Only Christ's human "nature" died.

Great Controversy. In summary form: The purpose of the cross is to reveal both the character of God and the nature of sin. The purpose of the final judgment is to forever vindicate the character of God and eradicate sin and sinners. In the final judgment, even the wicked will recognize the truth of God's character. The term "God's character" is equivalent to God's form of government—which is based on love, truth, and freedom.

  • Paul's example. Before conversion he was persecuting Christians—those of a different conviction. After conversion he allowed others to be persuaded in their own minds.
  • The truth about sin and sinners. Sin is lethal. The sinner sets in motion a chain of events which ultimately brings punishment upon himself. In other words, the sinner reaps what he sows. The sinner is a sinner by nature. He cannot change himself and, therefore, cannot save himself. Forgiveness has no value, if the sinner remains a sinner. It's like a pig being washed and then going back into the mud.
  • God's remedy for sinners. God's remedy involves both forgiveness and healing. Both are fulfilled in Christ. By faith in Christ we are forgiven and through Christ we are restored. The work of transformation begins the moment the sinner accepts Christ. Salvation is progressive: from the new birth, to growth and maturity, and finally to glorification at the second coming. The saved individual no longer continues in sin (Romans 6).
  • God's judgment on sinners. God cannot help those who do not want to be helped. Those who choose to remain in sin cannot and will not want to live in God's holy presence. They would rather die than remain in His presence, and will cry to the rocks and mountains, "fall on us and hid us" from His presence (Revelation 6:15-16). The rejectors of God's mercy will get what they want. The saints will also get what they've asked for—happy to live in a perfect, sin-free world.
  • GC 36.1: God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown.
  • Two salvations. One is: What must I do to be forgiven? The other is: What must I do to be restored? One is preoccupied with my legal standing before God (i.e. being forgiven). The other is preoccupied with healing the damage done (i.e. standing before God spotless). One is a temporary solution; the other is permanent.
  • Did God kill His Son? No. Rather, God allowed Satan to manifest his character (i.e. form of government). It is not unlike the story of Job. At the cross, the character of the Accuser was fully revealed.

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