Why a Study of the Atonement? Introduction: Why study the doctrine of the atonement? Theological Issues are cyclical. D. A. Carson has said that a new systematic theology has to be written for each generation. Not because the Bible has changed but because the questions have changed. It is critical that we understand the theological issues of our day. 1 Chr 12:32 (NASB) And of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command. Sometimes the issues are inflammatory. The early church had to defend itself against the charge that they were cannibals due to the partaking of communion. Formerly the issue was the Deity of Christ and the search for the historical Jesus. Later, the hot button issue was the inspiration and authority of Scripture and the Battle for the Bible. Today the issue is There is a great controversy raging in and out of evangelical circles concerning the doctrine of the atonement debate : papers from the London Symposium on the theology of the atonement, This controversy includes both the reason for and extent of What was the purpose, reasons and extent of the atonement? For whom did Christ die and why? I will be focusing mostly on the reasons for the atonement and what Jesus accomplished through His life, death and resurrection. 1
Theme: An introduction to the importance and relevance of a study on Transitional Statement: One view of the atonement has been center stage in evangelical circles for many years That is the penal substitutionary atonement view. I. Recently, theologically and culturally, there has been a movement away from the penal substitutionary view of A. Definition: Penal substitution contends that God is holy and that humans are sinful. God, because he is holy, can t simply ignore human sin and be true to his own holiness. So there must be a just punishment (hence, penal). Jesus Christ, the God-Man, stood in the sinner's place, absorbing God's just punishment (wrath) on sin and sinners (hence, substitution). Because God demands utter perfection for entry into God's presence, not only are our sins imputed to Christ on the cross but his righteousness was then imputed to us (hence, double imputation). In this the mechanics are explained: God remains holy and just by judging sinners and, at the same time, forgives sin and justifies sinners by imputing Christ's obedience to us. Scott Mcknight A Community Called Atonement. B. Theologically there is a movement away from the penal substitutionary view of 1. The theological movement away from the penal substitutionary view of the atonement can be seen not only at an academic level but also at a popular level. 2. This movement is illustrated in an article concerning the Presbyterian Church (USA) with regards to their hymnal. Presbyterian Church (USA) drops In Christ Alone from hymnal Published 15 August 2013 ASSIST News Service An extraordinary dispute has arisen over a lyric contained in one of the most beloved contemporary Christian hymns of the modern-day Church, "In Christ Alone". According to Bob Smietana of USA Today, the committee putting together a new hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) dropped the popular hymn because the song's authors refused to change a phrase about the wrath of God. He said that the original lyrics say that "on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied." The Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song wanted to substitute the 2
words, "the love of God was magnified." The song's authors, Stuart Townend and Northern Ireland born and now a Nashville resident, Keith Getty, objected. "So the committee voted to drop the song," said Smietana."Critics say the proposed change was sparked by liberals wanting to take God's wrath out of the hymnal. The committee says there's plenty of wrath in the new hymnal. "Instead, the problem is the word 'satisfied,' which the committee says refers to a specific view of theology that it rejects. C. Culturally there is a growing back lash against the penal subsitituionay view of The polemic against penal substitution has recently turned ugly. Out of the feminist movement has arisen a categorical rejection of penal substitution because of the conviction that penal substitution is violent and conveys the image of divine child abuse a Father punishing the Son. Victims, so some feminists have argued, are then idealized because (1) we are taught to identify with Jesus as victim, (2) suffering is thereby justified, and (3) powerlessness is accepted. Furthermore, since the Father is good and this good God uses violence against the Son, the image of a father's violence against a child is tolerated. 1. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore in Let the Children Come : Reimagining Childhood from a Christian Perspective (Families and Faith Series)page 38 Particularly appalling is the traditional view that God is responsible for Jesus' suffering and sacrifice on the cross. This depiction of divine or cosmic child abuse, as some have named it, wrongly exalts suffering and paves the way for parental mistreatment. More and more in counseling sessions the reason child abuse is tolerated in some Christian homes is blamed on identification with Cosmic Child Abuse. 2. Mark Miller Cross Purposes On the blurb to his book Mark Miller says this: Let me get this straight. God sentenced His own son to death for something he didn t do and you are inviting me to become his child too? I m not sure I want to do that given how he treats his kids. What kind of 3
father is he anyway? 3. And then there is this rhetoric. D. Application: God is ticked off at mankind so He takes it out on His Son. Like a man who had a bad day at work and comes home and kicks the dog. 1. The evil one is cunning. The inflammatory language of Cosmic Child Abuse strikes a cord with our culture. Thus, causing people to instantly cringe away from it. 2. The scandals associated with the Catholic Church give credence to those who question the practical result of this theology. 3. The simplistic understanding of the atoning work of Christ has left itself wide open for caricature and misunderstanding. 4. We must be able to defend this view with wisdom, understanding and grace that speaks to both the theological and cultural issues of our day. 5. In defending this view we must be careful not to become overly defensive. II. The attack on the Substitutionary penal view of the atonement has led to a negative defensive over reaction. A. In a zeal for defending the subsitituionay penal view there has been a limiting, and even denial. of the many faceted aspects of 1. When individuals speak positively concerning other views of the atonement, they are viewed with suspicion as though they are running away from a penal subsitituionay view of 2. Some have asserted that the only proper view of the atonement is the penal Substitutionary view. 3. Others more cautiously have said it is the central or most important view of B. The atonement can and must be considered from a variety of perspectives. 4
The book by Green and Baker, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross: Atonement in New Testament and Contemporary Contexts, appears to be motivated by two key concerns. First, it, too, discredits the tendency of focusing on one model or understanding of the atonement exclusively. Given the evangelical setting from which the book arises and to which it speaks, this means specifically that the authors want to overcome the predominant emphasis on penal substitution in evangelical circles. Their justification for countering this habitual emphasis derives from their insistence (mine too) that the New Testament itself presents more than one model Sherman, R. (2004). King, priest, and prophet: a Trinitarian theology of atonement (p. 27). London; New York: T&T Clark International. C. Just how multi-faceted is the atonement? John Piper has written a book entitled Fifty reasons why Jesus came to die. D. A singular view of substitutionary atonement leaves itself open to ridicule. 1. One problem with the simplistic representation of the penal substitutionary atonement is that it focuses solely upon forgiveness. 2. It is asserted by some that the sole reason Jesus died on the cross was to save us from the penalty of sin. 3. This has resulted in the erroneous idea that when one accepts Christ as savior one is only trusting in Him as one who takes away the punishment of our sin. 4. Recovering the Scandal of the Cross by Mark D. Baker and Joel B. Greene If sin is explained in terms of disobedience, and salvation is understood according to individual-oriented notions of forgiveness, then it is possible to conceive of salvation apart from any notion of human transformation. E. The Christus Victor (Christ is Conqueror) view of the atonement for example focuses upon deliverance. The conquering of sin and death. Col 2:13 (NASB) And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, Col 2:14 (NASB) having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Col 2:15 (NASB) When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. 5
1. Scott Mcknight argues that central in the atoning work of Christ is His triumphing over our bondage to sin. 2. Why did Jesus die on the night of the Passover and not on Yom Kippur (the day of atonement). McKnight A Community Called Atonement 3. The image of the Passover is the deliverance from bondage in order to be free to serve God. Exo 7:16 (NASB) "And you will say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now." 4. Thus, Christ died in order to set us free from the bondage of sin so that we would serve Him. F. Jesus in fact saves us in many different ways. 1. Salvation is from the penalty of sin. - forgiveness 2. Salvation is from bondage of sin. - deliverance 3. Salvation is from the alienation of sin - reconciliation G. To receive Christ as savior is to experience salvation in all the aforementioned ways and still more. III. We are going to be emphasizing a multifaceted view of A. We will be organizing our study around the offices of the Lord Jesus Christ. B. Each office that Jesus occupies is related to a different aspect of 1. The office of prophet is somewhat represented by the exemplar view of the atonement. As prophet Jesus Christ reveals the person of God in 2. The office of priest is somewhat represented by the substitutionary penal view of As a priest Jesus Christ offers a sacrifice for sin and intercedes for us in 3. The office of king is somewhat represented by the Christus Victor view of 6
As a king, Jesus Christ triumphs over Satan, all evil powers, sin and death in IV. Conclusion: A. I would not have raised the issue of cosmic child abuse if I did not think there was a satisfactory response to it. B. I wanted you to wrestle with how you would answer these wild accusations. C. Also, I did not want our young people to first encounter these views on the college campus. D. Next week we will begin to consider the atonement in depth. E. We will particularly focus on the relevance of the atonement to our lives and the issues of our culture. F. One of the outcomes that I desire, is that we might be better equipped to share the gospel in our culture. G. An assignment. 7