The
Person & Work of Christ
Atonement
is exactly described with the Hebrew word “kaphar,”
meaning “to cover.”[1] Theologically speaking,
the blood of Jesus Christ has covered the sins of mankind. By the will of God,
“we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10b). That Jesus Christ lived on the earth,
conducted ministry, was killed on a cross, arose from the dead, and went back
into the heavens (Lk. 2:7; Mk.1; Jn. 18, 19:17-37, 20:1-9; Acts 1:9-11), is
essential to the doctrine of humanity and of the atonement. Humans were created
by God for his good pleasure, but the entrance of sin necessitated “a
satisfaction.” This satisfaction could only be obtained by divine means, hence
the doctrine of soteriology – salvation through Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:13-15; Jn.
3:17). If the doctrine of humanity is understood in light of “what needed to be
done for, how it was done for and the ultimate destiny of humans,”[2] then the atonement
describes Christ’s work through the incarnation in satisfying the demands of a
holy, righteous and moral God for violations against his nature and for human liberation
from sin.
The person and work of Christ is the
means of this “satisfaction,” neither taking priority over the other. God was
made “personal” through the “person” of the Holy Spirit (Jer. 31:31-33;
Mat.1:21; Jn.1:14; Acts 2:3-4). He became “active within the lives of believers
and resides within them” (Rom. 8:11; Jn. 16:13).[3] Believers experience God
upon baptism, the beginning of a lifetime journey involving regeneration,
justification and sanctification. This
process is accomplished through “the work of Christ,” or the “work of the Holy
Spirit.” It is the personal involvement of the Holy Spirit in a active way that
the experiential dimension of the Christian life is realized. In theology, the
“work of the Spirit” is often expressed interchangeably using the titles “the
Spirit of God/Holy Spirit.” As such, the Spirit of God has been active in
creation (Gen. 26:13, 1:2), in prophecies (2 Pet.2:21; Acts 1:16; Num. 24:2),
in administration (Deut. 34:9; Num. 11:25; Judg.3:10, 14:19), in endowing and
empowering individuals (1 Sam. 10:10, 16:13), as teacher/guide/instructor (Neh.
9:20; Psa.143:10; Ez. 36:26-28), and in
a deliberate effort to “produce moral and spiritual qualities of holiness and
goodness” (Lk. 4:18-21; Joel 2:28-29; Isa. 42:1-4). In the process of
reconciling man back to himself, God providentially orchestrates both the work
and person of Christ to accomplish his will and purpose.
Now, of interest and much debate for
centuries is how God accomplishes this “satisfaction/redemption” plan. Five
such theories of atonement aiming to describe that process include: (1) the
Socinian theory, (2) the Moral Influence theory, (3) the Governmental theory,
(4 the Ransom theory and the (5) the Satisfaction theory. None of these
theories fully express God’s plan. But
the conclusion can be made that God “gave us the perfect example of dedication
through Christ’s death, demonstrated the extent of his love, underscored the
seriousness of sin and severity of his righteousness, triumphed over the forces
of sin and death and rendered satisfaction for sins.”[4] Perhaps the one theory
that expresses more fully God’s plan is the Satisfaction theory. The theory was
primarily developed by archbishop Anselm (1033-1109). Using the cultural milieu
of that period, Anselm posits that God is like a feudal overlord “who to
maintain his honor, insists that there be adequate satisfaction for
encroachment.”[5]
Because God cannot ignore his nature (righteous, holy, just, good), he must
act. When sin causes injury to God, even when necessary judgment has been
rendered, “there must be some additional compensation or reparation for the
injury done.”[6]
This is why the Old Covenant by itself was not enough for “satisfaction;” the
repeated sacrifices of bulls and goats was not the answer (Heb. 10:4) God had
to make “satisfaction” himself through the atonement (Heb. 10:7). Anselm’s
theory summarized then, suggests that the “satisfaction” required by God (the
overlord) required a greater than human effort. Christ accomplished this
through the incarnation and the atonement (Jn. 10:18).
[1]
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic,
2013), 735.
[2]
Ibid., 425.
[4]
Ibid., 729.
[5]
Ibid., 727.
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