2C: the atonement Flashcards
1
Q
Atonement definition:
A
- the process by which men and women are reconciled with God through the death of Jesus on the cross.
- reconciliation was needed due to ‘original sin’ by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden which separates us from God
- term that has been used since the 16hth century to convey the significance of Jesus’ death
2
Q
New Testament models
A
- uses several different models to convey how God reconciled humankind to himself through Jesus’ death.
-e.g. early models (sacrifice and ransom), Christus Victor, The Cross as Satisfaction and Penal Substitution and The Cross of Moral Example
3
Q
What is the early model of sacrifice?
A
- in the OT, sacrifice was a common practice aimed at restoring a broken relationship between people and God. e.g. ‘lamb of God who takes away the sins of the earth’
- however the Epistle to the Hebrews was the most extensive NT treatment of Jesus’ death as a sacrifice. It states that through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, human sin was taken away ‘once and for all’ (Hebrews 7:27). Jesus’ death was a final atonement for sin
- Human beings has nothing of sufficient value to sacrifice to God for their sins, they argued that God himself had provided the sacrifice for them, as he did in the story of Abraham and Isaac.
4
Q
What are the problems of sacrifice model?
A
- many people have objected to this view as no loving God would offer his only Son as a sacrifice in order to satisfy his own sense of justice.
- they argue if this was true then the Christian God is an angry tyrant who must be appeased before he forgives.
5
Q
What is the early ransom model?
A
- Gospels indicate that Jesus himself thought of his death in terms of a ransom payment to redeem men and women from sin.
- Matthew 20:28 ‘the Son of Man came … to give his life a ransom for many’
- it is not clear whom the ransom was paid. Origen maintained that Jesus’ death was a ransom paid to Satan, to free humankind whom Satan had enslaved following Adam and Eve’s sin. He suffered a final defeat when Jesus was resurrected.
6
Q
What is the Christus Victor model?
A
- more modern
- 1931 book ‘Christus Victor’ in which Aulen argued that human beings had indeed been bound by the hostile powers of death and the devil.
- whereas Anselm saw the atonement as the payment of debt of honour to God, Aulen sees it in terms of human beings being liberated from the slavery of sin, of Jesus by his incarnation entering human misery and redeeming it.
- this is preferred as Jesus paid price due to compassionate nature rather than as a consequence of a ransom. It also has a nicer feel, God is doing it as compassion rather than a tyrant God who is demanding payment.
7
Q
What are the criticisms of the Christus Victor model?
A
- plays down human sin and guilt and is comfortably triumphalist.
- it is similar to in many respects to Irenaeus’ modified Ransom model of atonement, arguing that God was no debtor to Satan but that human beings, having fallen prey to Satan’s seduction in the Fall, were debtors to God. This is still the favoured due in the Eastern Church.
8
Q
What is the Satisfaction model?
A
- in this context ‘satisfaction’ refers to ‘reparation’, ‘recompense’.
- In his book ‘Cur Deus Homos’ (1097) Anselm proposed the Satisfaction model of the atonement, a modification of the ransom model
-he believed that human debt to God was greater than men and women were able to pay. Therefore had to pay the debt himself. However it wouldn’t redeem humans unless it was made by a human. God therefore became human being in Jesus so he could pay the debt to himself. - Jesus was under no obligation to die but brought infinite honour to God. Jesus passed reward of reconciliation with God onto those who believed in him.. However some view this as sadistic. God is potentially controlling humanity - we owe him due to the death of his Son.
9
Q
What are the criticisms to Satisfaction model?
A
- based on the concept of ‘honour’ in which serfs were bound to an overlord which in turn is bound to the king. Serfs owed their overlord a debt of honour for protecting them. Anselm saw God in these terms - as the overlord of the world.
- therefore it is criticised for depending too much on an unbiblical model
10
Q
What is the Penal substitution model?
A
- 16th century Protestant Reformers considered Anselm’s Satisfaction model inadequate as it was based on the concept of God’s honour rather than on God’s justice.
- they proposed an alternative Penal substitution model: Jesus set human beings free from being punished by their sins by taking that punishment upon himself on the cross, thus satisfying the justice of God.
- they based their argument on the Suffering Servant Songs in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, e.g. ‘the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all’
11
Q
What are the criticisms of penal substitution?
A
- it is based more on a criminal justice system than on biblical revelation
- no criminal justice system would justify punishing the innocent instead of the guilty
- model rooted in violence. It portrays God too much as a God of vengeance rather who insists his own son suffers spiritually and physically
- separates the Father and the Son. It is as if the Son saves us from the Father
- it is incompatible with any proper Christian understanding of the nature of God
12
Q
What are the criticisms of the Christus Victor model?
A
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