2C The atonement Flashcards
What is the atonement?
• The process by which men and women are reconciled with God through the death of Jesus on the cross
Why is reconciliation necessary?
∵ all people have sinned due to the Fall
The word atonement is coined from, ‘at one’, but by whom?
• William Tyndale (16th C), one of the first translators of the Bible into English
What does expiation mean?
• Removing guilt by paying a penalty
What does propitiation mean?
• Turning away from wrath by making an offering
In the Old Testament, sacrifice was a common practice used for what?
• Restoring a broken relationship between ppl and G
Give an Old Testament example of sacrifice.
• Exodus 12:24-7 commands Jews to slaughter and eat a lamb on the first night of Passover to remember their deliverance from Egypt
Give a New Testament example of sacrifice from one of the four Gospels.
- John 1:29: Jesus is “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”
- This would have been familiar to his listeners ∵ of the OT
What is the most extensive NT treatment of J’s death as a sacrifice?
- Epistle to the Hebrews
* Human sin = taken away “once and for all” ∴ complete expiation
What did early C.tian theo.s believe regarding the sacrificial model?
- Humans had nothing of sufficient value to sacrifice to G for their sins ∵ G provided the sacrifice for them
- Augustine: “He offered himself”
What are the objections to the sacrifice model?
- No loving God would offer his only son as a sacrifice in order to satisfy his own sense of justice
- It makes God an angry tyrant who musy be appeased before he forgives
What is the ransom model?
• A variant of the sacrificial model
Give a NT example of ransom from one of the four gospels.
• Matthew 20:28: “the Son of Man came…to give his life a ransom for many”
Give a NT example of ransom from Timothy.
• 1 Timothy 2:5-6: “Jesus…gave himself a ransom for all”
It is not clear to whom the ransom was paid. What does Origen believe?
- The ransom payment was to Satan, to free humankind whom Satan had enslaved following A+E’s sin
- Satan was unaware that J=G ∴ he was decieved and suffered final defeat when J was res.
Why do people object to Origen’s view of ransom?
- It gives Satan more power than he has
* It makes G a debtor and a deceiver
Who repopularised the ransom model? What was his book called? What year was the book published?
- Aulén
- ‘Christus Victor’
- 1931
What did Aulén argue?
- Humans had, like Origen argued, been bound by the hostile powers of death and the devil
- The ransom model ≠ a theological hypothesis, but a passion story about G liberating his ppl from the “bondage of death, sin, and the devil”
- Humans = liberated from the slavery of sin ∵ J enters human misery and redeems it
What is Irenaeus’ recapitulation model?
- A modifided ransom model
- Argued that G ≠ debtor to Satan; humans, having fallen prey to Satan’s seduction in Fall, were debtors to G
- The debt = cancelled when J “waged war” against the devil
- Favoured view of the Eastern Othodox church
Who proposed the satisfaction model? What was his book called? What year was the book published?
- Anselm
- ‘Cur Deus Homo’
- 1097
What is argued in the satisfaction model?
- In this context, satisfaction does not mean ‘pleasure’ - it means ‘propitiation’
- Human sin had so offended G’s honour that he could only be satisfied by the death of the G-man, J
- The debt to G = greater than humans could pay ∴ paid it himself
- J = under no obligation to die, but his death brought ∞ honour to G + gained J a supererogation of merit
Why is the satisfaction model criticised?
• Based too much on the feudal system of Anselm’s day, as the concept of honour was central + G = seen as an overlord to whom people owe debts
∴ too dependent on an unbiblical model
Why was the penal substitution model developed?
• 16th C. Protestant reformers believed Anselm’s model to be inadequate as it was too focused on G’s honour, and not his justice
What does the penal substitution model argue?
• Jesus set humans free from being punished for their sins by taking the punishment on himself ∴ satisfying G’s justice
What is the OT supporting evidence used by proponents of the penal substitution model?
• Isiah, Suffering Servant Songs: “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”
What is the NT supporting evidence used by proponents of the penal substitution model?
• Paul’s Epistles, e.g. Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”
Why is the penal substitution model criticised?
- Based more on a criminal justice system than biblical revelation
- No criminal justice system would justify punishing the innocent
- Separates the Father from the Son ∵ the S saves us from the F
- Incompatible with any proper C.tian understanding of the nature of G
What is the moral example model very similar to?
• The moral influence model
What does the moral example model propose?
- J died to show humans the depth of G’s love for them, not to appease G
- Purpose = lead ppl to repentance and personal moral effort
- The atonement is not aimed at appeasement of G’s honour or justice, but at the moral improvement of humankind
Why is the moral example model criticised?
- Does not explain the crucifixion. J did not have to die to provide ppl w/ a moral example; he could have done so by his life and teachings
- Teaches that humans can achieve salvation through our own moral effort (works) rather than faith
- Denies the supernatural effect of J’s death
- Belittles G’s anger against sin
Why do some argue that the penal substitution model is the mechanism by which everything else is achieved on the cross?
- Ransom: image only works if J took our punishment
- Victory: we can only share J’s victory if we are united w/ him. Cannot be united unless our sins are forgiven ∵ J has taken our punishment as our substitute
- Example: we identify w/ J’s self-sacrifice, but we can only do this ∵ he first identified w/ us by taking our punishment
What are the three groups of atonement models called?
- Classical paradigm
- Objective paradigm
- Subjective paradigm
What models are part of the classical paradigm grouping?
- Sacrifice
- Ransom
- Recapitulation
What models are part of the objective paradigm grouping?
- Satisfaction
- Penal substitution
- Moral government
What models are part of the subjective paradigm grouping?
- Moral example
* Moral influence
