Theories Of Atonement PDF

The Mission Of Christ Part 2 Theories of Atonement  The Atonement Christianity teaches that Jesus suffered and died in order to pay for the sins of the world His sacrifice brought about the atonement that allowed God to forgive us and offer us salvation. Many people wonder...

The Mission Of Christ Part 2 Theories of Atonement  The Atonement Christianity teaches that Jesus suffered and died in order to pay for the sins of the world His sacrifice brought about the atonement that allowed God to forgive us and offer us salvation. Many people wonder why God didn't just forgive everyone outright, without requiring a sacrifice first. There are several theories that seek to explain why a sacrifice was necessary. These are known as Atonement Theories.  The Ransom Theory: Origen This is one of the oldest atonement theories. The early Christian scholar Origen said that the disobedience of Adam and Eve caused God to abandon humankind to the Devil, who then exerted his power over us. Later, when God decided to reconcile with us, he agreed to pay Satan a ransom for our release.  The Ransom Theory: Origen The agreed-upon payment was Jesus' death on the cross. After the crucifixion, Satan kept his part of the bargain by releasing us from his power. But then God pulled a trick on him by resurrecting Jesus. The Ransom Theory is also called the Bargain Theory and the Classical Theory. It was the primary atonement theory for more than a thousand years, from the first century to the eleventh century, and is still accepted by some Christians.  The Satisfaction Theory: (Saint Anselm) He believed that an outlaw like the Devil had no right to exert power over humankind, and therefore God didn't need to pay him anything for our release. To replace the Ransom Theory, Anselm put forward another explanation known as the Satisfaction Theory (or Debt Theory).  The Satisfaction Theory: (Saint Anselm) According to this theory, humankind owes a debt to God because we dishonored him through our disobedience and sin. To resolve the matter, Jesus volunteered to pay our debt for us by suffering and dying on the cross. God accepted this act of love as a full atonement, and thus satisfied, he then forgave us and offered us salvation.  The Moral Exemplar Theory: Peter Abelard (also called the Moral Influence Theory) According to this theory, Jesus tried to help us obtain salvation by giving us a perfect moral example of how to live. Unfortunately, many people continue to ignore the example that Jesus set, and still commit immoral acts.  The Penal-Substitution Theory The basic idea of this theory is that Jesus suffered and died to take upon himself the punishment that we ourselves deserve. Although God wasn't willing to forgive us outright, he was willing to accept the punishment of Jesus as a substitute for our own punishment. In this theory Jesus takes the role of an innocent scapegoat who is punished for the sins of others. On one occasion God punished humankind by sending a flood that killed everyone on the earth except a few people on Noah's boat.  The Penal-Substitution Theory According to the Penal-Substitution theory, when humankind later needed to be punished again, God allowed Jesus to take the punishment for us. The Penal-Substitution Theory is accepted by many modern Protestants. … Jesus' sacrifice brought the possibility of forgiveness to everyone. But some Christians believe that Jesus died only for the "elect", a small minority who are predestined to be saved. This is called definite (or limited) atonement.  The Governmental Theory According to this theory, God acts as a governor (or overseer) of all life on the earth. But he became very displeased with the way people were behaving, and he wanted to show us that we deserve severe punishment. To demonstrate just how severe, he sent Jesus to suffer and die. Thus, the crucifixion was meant to be a demonstration of the punishment that we all deserve. By giving us this demonstration, God hoped that we would realize the seriousness of our sins and reform ourselves.