Atonement Theories

Relating the “Work of Christ” on the Cross to Christian Living 

Tim Isbell 1997, major rewrite in 2023.

The Christian faith teaches that every adult is guilty of the volitional sin of self-rule, disregarding the Creator’s authority over us. The choice of self-rule inevitably leads to more sins of behaviors and attitudes that often become habitual or addictive. Self-rule and its side effects tend to cause guilt and shame in us.

In addition, we experience contextual sins, meaning sins pushed upon us by the world we live in, including our families, the castes we live in, and other individuals.  

Unaddressed sins of both kinds undermine the identity God had in mind for us at conception. Christ’s work on the cross provides a path by which His Spirit within us remodels our identity from the inside out. We enter this path through the theological door of atonement, meaning we choose to put our faith in the work of Christ on the cross instead of in ourselves. Below, I’ll address two ways to understand atonement: substitution and ransom.

Substitutional Atonement

I like this theory, especially for volitional sins. 

Such sins emerge from our willful behaviors or attitudes. They lead to guilt and sometimes shame, followed by a longing for forgiveness and a warm relationship with our Creator. 

The Bible’s antidote for such sins is as old as the third chapter of Genesis. Without any theological explanation, when God discovered Adam’s and Eve’s willful sins, He killed an animal to provide skins to cover their feelings of guilt and shame, which were evident from their attitude toward their nakedness. From there, the theme of sacrifice flows like a river through the Bible, spreading widely throughout the world's cultures. The Old Testament lacks an entirely satisfying explanation for why blood sacrifice is effective other than pointing to Leviticus 17.12-24, which says it has something to do with the blood of the victim.

That still leaves us with questions: 

The answers: Yes. Yes. Yes. Either or both.

Regarding #4: In contemporary usage, "substitution" implies that something of similar value replaces the desired item. The fact that in the Old Testament, God taught Israelite households to sacrifice their most perfect lamb makes it clear that sin is a serious matter. But ceremonially killing an animal seems like a feeble substitute for the sin of choosing my self-sovereignty over the sovereignty of my Creator. At least in some situations, it is better to think of the animal as a representative of the sinner than a substitute for the sinner's life. 

The New Testament reverses the relative quality of the sacrifice. Here, the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, is a sacrifice of such high quality that it scales to everyone who will trust Him! To speak of Jesus being my substitutional sacrifice is personal and true enough, but that fails to carry the enormity of the work of Christ on the cross for the sins of the whole world. 

The net result is that we come to the cross legally guilty and subject to God’s anger; we leave the cross forgiven and at peace with our Creator. 

Ransom Atonement 

I like this theory especially for contextual sins. 

Even before we seek forgiveness for volitional sins, the contextual sins of our context enslave many of us. Also, many of us are unwitting contributors to or beneficiaries of contextual sins forced on lower castes or other cultures. There’s no doubt that our cultures introduce us to sins, many of which we unknowingly propagate until the Spirit of Jesus makes that clear to us.

Some of us relate easier to seeing ourselves as enslaved to an unfit owner (Satan) and needing a savior who will ransom us from an evil “master.” For example, consider the Exodus story of a million-plus people subjected to the evil and abusive slavery of Egypt. The Israelites did nothing to deserve their plight; their ancestors were invited to Egypt to escape a famine 400 years earlier until it appeared they would outnumber the Egyptians. To mitigate the threat, Egypt enslaved them. (sound familiar?)

Commitment (trust) to and faith (belief) in Christ  

Regardless of whether our sin is volitional or contextual, God designed Christ’s work on the cross to save us from the death that inevitably follows. The Bible tells us that we can appropriate this salvation into our lives by confessing our sins and committing to follow Christ. Here are some quotes from several theologians that make this point. 

John Stott: "Christianity is no mere passive acquiescence in a series of propositions, however true. We may believe in the deity and the salvation of Christ and acknowledge our sins and need for salvation, but this does not make us Christians. We must personally respond to Jesus Christ, committing ourselves unreservedly to him as our Savior and Lord." 

John Stott: "To believe certain facts about the person and work of Christ is a necessary preliminary, but true faith will translate such mental belief into a decisive act of trust." 

Millard Erickson:  "Conversion... consists of a negative and positive element: repentance, that is, abandonment of sin; and faith, that is, acceptance of the promises and the work of Christ." He also taught that faith was always the path to salvation in the Old and New Testaments. 

Samuel Mikolaski summarized necessary faith in three levels. The first is intellectual belief, meaning that the essential historical New Testament stories accurately report what happened. The second is heartfelt conviction in the underlying truth that these stories offer us a path into a relationship with God. The third is total trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Saving faith needs all three dimensions.

He used the biological metaphor of a seed from 1 Peter 1.23-25. The seed of man brings life, but this life is perishable. The seed of God brings new life, and this life is imperishable. The seed of God is his word, which articulates the good news that Jesus Christ lived and died for sin, and God resurrected him to a new life. The role of the evangelist is to honestly and accurately offer this seed to the investigator. A new birth begins when the investigator plants this seed into his life through faith. I push this seed metaphor a bit farther. Once the new birth begins, the seed starts to grow and take on a life of its own. One of the most exciting aspects of Christian pastoral work is seeing the seed of the gospel sprout and grow way out of proportion to any contribution of the pastor. As the new Christian tends to the young plant by pulling the weeds around it and fertilizing it with various Christian practices, this new life grows into a whole and Christ-like person. God's Holy Spirit is at the core of this process, living within believers and guiding them in their new life. 

Coinherence of the Spirit and the spirit of the believer   

The term coinherence means the mutual indwelling of persons. An example is the husband and wife in a perfect marriage, band musicians who play many parts, a choir where many voices join as one, or the teamwork we sometimes see in team sports.

Millard Erickson uses the term coinherence to describe the interrelationships within the Trinity. It means that the oneness of God is equally as ultimate as their three-ness and that the persons are as surely one God as they are three persons.

Samuel Mikolaski extends the same term to describe the available interconnectedness of the Spirit of Jesus with a believer's spirit. He likens it to marriage partners who have lived so long together that they have become one, so much so that if one of them dies, the other one has lost part of themselves. 

Coinherence of our spirits with the Spirit of Jesus helps us to resist sins that previously caused guilt or shame. It releases us from slavery to sin and assures us of our new identity in Christ. This transformation is a new concept that was not in effect in the Old Testament but became a reality in the New Testament. It develops behaviors and attitudes in us that are increasingly like Jesus and in line with the Law. While we are not saved by obeying the Law, at the same time, the Law is a valid expression of God's will for our lives. Focusing on the Law will not carry us to compliance, but concentrating our spirits on coinherent relationships with the Spirit of Jesus will bring our lives increasingly in line with God’s Law. 

John Stott says it well: "The Law says 'do this, and you will live.’ The Gospel says, 'You live, so do this.’" 


Bibliography 

Curtis, Olin Alfred, The Christian Faith. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1971. 

Dunning, H. Ray, Grace, Faith & Holiness, A Wesleyan Systematic Theology. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1988. 

Erickson, Millard J., Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993. 

Finney, Charles, Finney, Systematic Theology. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1994. 

McGrath, Alister E., Christian Theology, An Introduction. Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell, 1994. 

Mikolaski, Samuel J., Theological Sentences, Christianity As An Hermeneutic. Prepublication copy from the author. 

Morris, Leon, The Atonement, Its Meaning & Significance. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity, 1983. 

Purkiser, W. T., Exploring Our Christian Faith. Kansas City: Beacon Hill, 1960. 

Smedes, Lewis, Shame and Grace. Healing the Shame We Don't Deserve. San Francisco: Harper, 1993. 

Stott, John R. W., Basic Christianity. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity, 1971. 

Stott, John R. W., Man Made New. Downers Grove, III: InterVarsity, 1977. 

Wiley, H. Orton, Christian Theology, Volume 2. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1947.