Understanding the Atonement is about more than grasping a theory.
Google the words atonement and emergent church together, and your computer screen will soon heat up a few degrees. A lively (and not always civilized) debate has broken out among those who defend classical theories of the Atonement and those who see them as some variation of the caricature Dorothy Sayers drew 60 years ago:
God wanted to damn everybody, but his vindictive sadism was sated by the crucifixion of his own Son, who was quite innocent, and, therefore, a particularly attractive victim. He now only damns people who don't follow Christ or who have never heard of him.
Since Jesus' death nearly 2,000 years ago, theologians such as Origen, Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard, and John Calvin have proposed ways of understanding it: as a Ransom paid to Satan, a Satisfaction required by God, a Moral Influence for humanity, a Penal Substitution for the punishment due to humankind. Some of these theories, referencing animal sacrifices and God's wrath, can make for a hard sell for many in modern times.
The Cross is the central image of Christianity, and gives us vivid proof that, in novelist Flannery O'Connor's words, the world "has, for all its horror, been found by God to be worth dying for." Yet theologians must somehow explain how Jesus' death differs in essence from the death of any great leader. What made it necessary, and exactly how did it affect our relationship with God?
During Holy Week last year, I found myself reflecting not so much on the theoretical rationale for the Atonement as on its practical outworking. Three insights from that week:
(1) The Cross made possible a new intimacy with God. Three of the Gospels mention that at the moment of Jesus' death, a thick curtain inside the temple tore from top to bottom, exposing the Most Holy Place. Traditionally, only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), could the high priest enter the fearsome Most Holy Place. Preparations involved ritual baths, special clothes, and five separate animal sacrifices, and still the priest entered with apprehension about committing an offense. He wore bells on his robe and a rope around his ankle so that if the bells fell silent, other priests could retrieve his body.
The Book of Hebrews draws a vivid contrast: the author says believers can now "approach the throne of grace with confidence" (4:16). No image could be more shocking for devout Jews than charging boldly into the Most Holy Place. Therefore, concludes the author of Hebrews, "let us draw near to God" (10:22). Because of Jesus, we need no protective curtain; God has provided a sufficient Mediator for all time.
While visiting the United States in 1962, theologian Karl Barth faced a questioner intent on pinning down exactly when he had been saved. Barth replied, "It happened one afternoon in A.D. 34 when Jesus died on the cross." Love finds a way to overcome all obstacles to uniting with the beloved, no matter the cost.
(2) The Cross reveals the limits of human achievement. Paul wrote, "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Col. 2:15). Pontius Pilate had Jesus' "crime"—King of the Jews—posted in three languages, in ironic tribute to the travesty of justice. A public spectacle it was indeed when the most refined religious authorities of the time ganged up on an innocent man, and the most renowned justice system carried out the sentence.
Writer Thomas Merton points out that "no one saw the Resurrection. Everyone saw the Crucifixion. Everyone does see the Crucifixion. The Cross is everywhere." It should give us pause, this sign of contradiction, when we are tempted to look to politics or science to solve the deepest problems of humanity. Christ exposed as false gods the very powers in which men and women take most pride and invest most hope.
(3) The Cross brings to light an unexpected quality of the Godhead: humility. As Paul expressed in Philippians 2: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing … he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (v. 5-8). The poor and disadvantaged respond by instinct to this personal identification: witness the sermons in Appalachia or the base communities in Latin America that center on the Cross. Novelists know it too: Graham Greene, Georges Bernanos, and Ignazio Silone all made the sacrament commemorating Jesus' death the centerpiece of their finest works.
Whatever else we may say about it, the Atonement fulfills the Jewish principle that only one who has been hurt can forgive. At Calvary, God chose to be hurt.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
A couple posts from current WA sophomore students
Here are a couple great posts from student writings in our sophomore Bible classes...
POST #1: AUTHENTICITY
Oh I can think about You now and then,
Or I can make a mark on eternity.
Lord, first of all, how is it between You and me?
How many of us have lifted our hands during worship, prayed out loud during church, given ten percent of our money, been an active part of a Bible study, or, well, you get my drift. A great majority of Christians do all these things. But the question is, why? When we lift our hands during worship, are we truly lifting our praise to God? Or are we “proving” that we are righteous Christians? In order to be fully righteous in God’s eyes, it is essential to be authentic.
I strongly believe that true Christianity is authentic. As a believer, I have the Holy Spirit. But does the Holy Spirit have me? It is vital to live out God’s Word, not act it out. If we live with the intention of pleasing God, and give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, we have no need for human affirmation. Thus, we are no longer disappointing the Lord by “faking it.”
I have only recently come back to my relationship with Christ, so you may ask, “What authority do you have to tell me how to live?” Well, let me tell you that I am not only writing this for you, I need to hear it as well. Before I started getting right with God again, I laughed at “Jesus freaks” so people would know I wasn’t “into” that stuff. I lied all the time. I would lie to cover my lies. I broke the trust between me and my family. And I ruined a really good friendship. I didn’t care about God. Finally, someone got it through my head that what I was doing was awful and it had to change. So I began to rebuild my relationship with God. Now, I often find myself doing outwardly spiritual things without any real intention of letting the Holy Spirit work through me. But that is not what gives me joy. Doing good works and faking spirituality does not give a relationship with God. He does not know those who do not love Him.
When I talk to God honestly and openly, I try to do it when I am by myself. This way, I know that I am not doing things to prove my spirituality. There have been multiple times when I talked to my Father for over an hour. I don’t have to worry about saying something stupid. I can lift my hands without wondering if it is for status or praise. And do you want to know something fantastic? The more time I spend alone with God, the more authentic I become with others.
Imagine for a moment that you are an atheist, and a few of your Christian friends are praying for you. One possible prayer goes like this: “Dear Father, my friend doesn’t know you. Show him/her the error of his/her ways and make him/her want to serve you. You are all powerful and know everything that we do. Help my friend change completely.” Now here is a second possible prayer: “Dear God, you know everything about me and my friend. I have sinned so often, but you always welcome be back. Please show my friend how he/she can be completely free and loved by you. Thank you Jesus.” So which prayer would make you want to be a child of the King? Definitely the second one for me! No one is going to listen if we say “God changed me” Yes, that is true, but that is not the end. God is changing me. It is a continual process, and I will always struggle, but God will be there for me.
For every moment of our life, we have a choice to make. Do the right thing for the right reason, do the wrong thing, or do the right thing for the wrong reason. In the end, we will be evaluated by how we lived out God’s Word. So, will you have a high place in heaven because you were authentic? Or will you have to stand before the Living God and be told” I never knew you?”
POST #2: APPROACHABLE
Do you ever feel that you’re not approachable when it comes to your faith? For example, when you know that some certain someone needs to be reached out to but something’s just holding back, or you’re just afraid that they will judge you because of what you believe in.
When I think of being approachable I think of someone being able to come to you and ask you about anything and you to tell them your heart and what you really believe.
Last summer I was on my way to six flags with a bunch of French foreign exchange students. On our way there I told myself that I would really try and connect with one of the French students. I ended up talking with a boy named Noah. At first I asked him how his trip was going here in America and one word lead to another. Before I knew it we started to have a deep conversation. He was a cool guy seemed to have been raised well and was liked by everybody. Then we got to talking about religious matters. He didn’t know I was a Christian, and sadly I wanted it to stay that way. I asked him what his religion was, what’s was belief in creation and humanity? He said he doesn’t believe in anything, he also said that he believes in the big bang theory and thinks that it’s not possible for God to just come out of no where and create earth. Once I told him that I was a Christian he flooded me with questions upon questions that I couldn’t answer. I was not approachable. But the sad part about it was, the reason this boy was asking so many question was that he was screaming for the truth. He wanted answers. He wanted to believe in God but he couldn’t. He has no faith. (I realize now that he was calling for help but I didn’t answer to his call, I was not approachable.) Once the bus got to Great America we were all getting off the bus. Suddenly Noah pulls me aside and says to me something I’ll never forget. He said“ Phil, when we die we will truly know if God is to be believed in when one of us goes to Heaven and one of us goes to hell!” those words stayed with me that whole day, and I began to feel terrible. I had a chance to reach out to this guy, I could have led him to Christ, but I was unapproachable.
If anyone is crying out for some kind of help, or need God. Please reach out to them be a light in there world. Share your faith and lead them to God. DO NOT make the same mistake I did! You may not get another opportunity like this again. Change someone’s life. If you don’t know what to say, ask God and he will tell you.
There’re so many people looking for some kind of truth and explanation in life. We as Christians need to reach out to those in need and get up and say something.
Balance – This person has balance in his life because of his school activities, the sports he is involved in and the time he spends with his family, church activities and community service.
Youth – This person is a young man that is active, healthy and highly energetic. He is very youthful, full of ambition and bright hopes for his future.
Humanism – This person is capable of doing a lot of positive things for humanity. His ideas are well-thought out for how he can better the world around him. He is gifted in many things and uses those gifts in every day life.
POST #1: AUTHENTICITY
Oh I can think about You now and then,
Or I can make a mark on eternity.
Lord, first of all, how is it between You and me?
How many of us have lifted our hands during worship, prayed out loud during church, given ten percent of our money, been an active part of a Bible study, or, well, you get my drift. A great majority of Christians do all these things. But the question is, why? When we lift our hands during worship, are we truly lifting our praise to God? Or are we “proving” that we are righteous Christians? In order to be fully righteous in God’s eyes, it is essential to be authentic.
I strongly believe that true Christianity is authentic. As a believer, I have the Holy Spirit. But does the Holy Spirit have me? It is vital to live out God’s Word, not act it out. If we live with the intention of pleasing God, and give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, we have no need for human affirmation. Thus, we are no longer disappointing the Lord by “faking it.”
I have only recently come back to my relationship with Christ, so you may ask, “What authority do you have to tell me how to live?” Well, let me tell you that I am not only writing this for you, I need to hear it as well. Before I started getting right with God again, I laughed at “Jesus freaks” so people would know I wasn’t “into” that stuff. I lied all the time. I would lie to cover my lies. I broke the trust between me and my family. And I ruined a really good friendship. I didn’t care about God. Finally, someone got it through my head that what I was doing was awful and it had to change. So I began to rebuild my relationship with God. Now, I often find myself doing outwardly spiritual things without any real intention of letting the Holy Spirit work through me. But that is not what gives me joy. Doing good works and faking spirituality does not give a relationship with God. He does not know those who do not love Him.
When I talk to God honestly and openly, I try to do it when I am by myself. This way, I know that I am not doing things to prove my spirituality. There have been multiple times when I talked to my Father for over an hour. I don’t have to worry about saying something stupid. I can lift my hands without wondering if it is for status or praise. And do you want to know something fantastic? The more time I spend alone with God, the more authentic I become with others.
Imagine for a moment that you are an atheist, and a few of your Christian friends are praying for you. One possible prayer goes like this: “Dear Father, my friend doesn’t know you. Show him/her the error of his/her ways and make him/her want to serve you. You are all powerful and know everything that we do. Help my friend change completely.” Now here is a second possible prayer: “Dear God, you know everything about me and my friend. I have sinned so often, but you always welcome be back. Please show my friend how he/she can be completely free and loved by you. Thank you Jesus.” So which prayer would make you want to be a child of the King? Definitely the second one for me! No one is going to listen if we say “God changed me” Yes, that is true, but that is not the end. God is changing me. It is a continual process, and I will always struggle, but God will be there for me.
For every moment of our life, we have a choice to make. Do the right thing for the right reason, do the wrong thing, or do the right thing for the wrong reason. In the end, we will be evaluated by how we lived out God’s Word. So, will you have a high place in heaven because you were authentic? Or will you have to stand before the Living God and be told” I never knew you?”
POST #2: APPROACHABLE
Do you ever feel that you’re not approachable when it comes to your faith? For example, when you know that some certain someone needs to be reached out to but something’s just holding back, or you’re just afraid that they will judge you because of what you believe in.
When I think of being approachable I think of someone being able to come to you and ask you about anything and you to tell them your heart and what you really believe.
Last summer I was on my way to six flags with a bunch of French foreign exchange students. On our way there I told myself that I would really try and connect with one of the French students. I ended up talking with a boy named Noah. At first I asked him how his trip was going here in America and one word lead to another. Before I knew it we started to have a deep conversation. He was a cool guy seemed to have been raised well and was liked by everybody. Then we got to talking about religious matters. He didn’t know I was a Christian, and sadly I wanted it to stay that way. I asked him what his religion was, what’s was belief in creation and humanity? He said he doesn’t believe in anything, he also said that he believes in the big bang theory and thinks that it’s not possible for God to just come out of no where and create earth. Once I told him that I was a Christian he flooded me with questions upon questions that I couldn’t answer. I was not approachable. But the sad part about it was, the reason this boy was asking so many question was that he was screaming for the truth. He wanted answers. He wanted to believe in God but he couldn’t. He has no faith. (I realize now that he was calling for help but I didn’t answer to his call, I was not approachable.) Once the bus got to Great America we were all getting off the bus. Suddenly Noah pulls me aside and says to me something I’ll never forget. He said“ Phil, when we die we will truly know if God is to be believed in when one of us goes to Heaven and one of us goes to hell!” those words stayed with me that whole day, and I began to feel terrible. I had a chance to reach out to this guy, I could have led him to Christ, but I was unapproachable.
If anyone is crying out for some kind of help, or need God. Please reach out to them be a light in there world. Share your faith and lead them to God. DO NOT make the same mistake I did! You may not get another opportunity like this again. Change someone’s life. If you don’t know what to say, ask God and he will tell you.
There’re so many people looking for some kind of truth and explanation in life. We as Christians need to reach out to those in need and get up and say something.
Balance – This person has balance in his life because of his school activities, the sports he is involved in and the time he spends with his family, church activities and community service.
Youth – This person is a young man that is active, healthy and highly energetic. He is very youthful, full of ambition and bright hopes for his future.
Humanism – This person is capable of doing a lot of positive things for humanity. His ideas are well-thought out for how he can better the world around him. He is gifted in many things and uses those gifts in every day life.
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