The Atonement Flashcards
Sacrifice
The Epistle of Hebrews states that through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, human sin was taken away
Genesis 22:8
Human beings have nothing of sufficient value to sacrifice so God himself had provided the sacrifice for them
Examples of Sacrifice in the Old Testament:
Exodus 12:24 - Commands the Jews to slaughter a lamb to remember their deliverance from Egypt
Leviticus 16:20 - Describes the process by which the priest lays all the sins of the community upon a goat
Issues with the Sacrifice Model
- Makes God sound like an angry tyrant
- No loving God would offer his only son to satisfy his own sense of justice
- Questions God’s omnibenevolent
Ransom
Jesus’ death was a ransom payment for Satan
Freed humans from original sin
Matthew 20:28
‘The Son of Man came to give his life as ransom for money’
Issues with the Ransom Model
- Gives Satan more power than he has
2. Makes God a debtor and deceiver
Satisfaction
God had to pay the debt himself. God became himself in Jesus so He could repay the debt. In reward, Jesus become sinless and anyone who follows him is also sinless.
Satisfaction Model (Anselm)
Anselm maintained that human sin has offended God’s honour that the only thing that would bring Him satisfaction is Jesus’ death.
Anselm’s book (1097)
Cur Deus Homo
Issues with the Satisfaction Model
- Based on the concept of honour
- Depends on an unbiblical model
- Depicts a God who’s more concerned about his hurt pride than his Son
Penal Substitution
Jesus set humans free from God’s punishment for sins by taking the punishment upon himself
Galatians 3:13
‘Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming the curse’
Issues with the Penal Substitution Model
- Based on a criminal justice system - wouldn’t punish the innocent
- Rooted in violence
- Incompatible with a Christian God
- Separates the Father and Son
Moral Example
Proposes that Jesus died to show human beings the depth of God’s love for them, hoped to lead people to repentance
Who formulated the Moral Example Model?
First formulated by Augustine and then restated by Peter Abelard
Issues with the Moral Example Model
- Teaches humans can earn salvation through moral efforts
- Belittles God’s anger against sin
- Doesn’t explain the crucifixion
Christus Victor
Saw the atonement as humans being liberated of sin by Jesus’ incarnation
Gustaf Aulen’s thoughts on Christus Victor
Argued that human beings had been bound by death and evil
Issues with the Christus Victor
- Plays down human guilt and sin
2. Similar to Irenaeus’ Recapitulation Model
Atonement
The process by which men and women are reconciled through Jesus’ death
Necessary because everyone sins
Original Sin
Genesis 3 (Adam and Eve being tempted by Satan)
How are the Sacrificial and Penal Substitution Model similar?
- Both teach that salvation can be achieved only through Jesus’ death
- Both supported by New Testament
What was John RW Stott’s book called and what did it propose?
The Cross of Christ (1986) - The Moral Example Theory can be seen as part of the Penal Substitution Model
The extent to which the three images of the atonement are contradictory
- The 3 images aren’t contradictory or mutually exclusive
2. They all help bring out different aspects of the atonement
The extent to with the 3 images suggest that the Christian God is cruel
- Despite serious accusations of cruelty against the Christian God, these can only be upheld when focusing on parts of the picture
