The theological word atonement commonly refers to the sacrificial act of our Lord Jesus Christ giving his life as a ransom through his death on the cross. It is traced to the Hebrew word kippur and the Jewish holiday of Yon Kippur, “the day of atonement;” in which the sin of a nation was covered for a year. It encompasses the work of Christ in which he redeems for himself a people, completed on the cross once for all time.

Historically there are many theories of the atonement that have been rejected by orthodox Christianity but have shaped the course of the Church. One of the earliest views of atonement, held by many early church fathers including Origen, is the Ransom Theory in which Christ is a ransom paid to Satan to free the souls of man from his power. A second theory is St. Anselm’s Commercial Theory. In this theory sin is seen as an offense to God’s honor. Homage must be paid to satisfy that honor. Since Christ is sinless his death is seen as giving infinite honor to God and thus could be transferred to the believer who lives a devoted life. Later Thomas Aquinas developed this into the concept of the infinite merit of Christ that could be earned by man. The Moral-influence Theory developed by Peter Abelard (1079-1142) states that Christ died as an example of God’s love to soften the hearts of man causing them to repent. Sin did not need to be paid for but simply repented from. A similar theory is the Governmental Theory, where Christ’s death is an example of God’s justice and hatred for sin. It does not pay a penalty for sin but shows what sin deserves and allows God to then justify man based on his faith, works, love and devotion to the Father. All of these versions fail to satisfy the demands of scripture.

The doctrine of atonement has many beautiful facets of truth. One of these truths is the concept of redemption. To redeem is to purchase, to free from captivity by means of payment. We, who are captive to sin and death, bound to depravity through the curse of original sin need to be freed. In Romans, Paul argues that what the Law could not do, Christ does for us. This is a victorious act of Christ in which we like Hosea’s wife are destitute, ungrateful prostitutes unable to free ourselves from a lifestyle that is self-perpetuating. But Christ comes and secures for us a release from our old master and gives us freedom and life. This redemption is effectual and complete. It not only removes us from bondage but also transforms us into a beautiful bride. It is a demonstration of both God’s love for his people and his love for his own glory. What other God demands justice for the trespass as well as the provision for that payment? As Romans says, “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26, NIV)

Kevin Farmer, Phil Meade, Dana Arledge