2C Atonement
For AO1 you need to know the main three theories of the atonement.
Christus Victor
Substitution theory
The moral exemplar theory
The underlying assumptions in Atonement theories about the need for divine forgiveness and the conflict between God’s wrath and God’s love.
For AO2 you need to be able to debate:
Whether the theories of atonement are compatible with each other.
Whether the theories of atonement suggest a cruel God.
Divine forgiveness. Whether humans needed divine forgiveness.
Wrath vs Love. Whether there is a conflict between God’s wrath and God’s love.
Adam and Eve’s disobedience of God is referred to as the fall because it introduced original sin, which all humans inherited, into the world. The result is that humans fell out of God’s grace, but Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is seen as in some way fixing that problem of humanity’s original sin such that we can be in God’s grace again.
All Christians agree that through the death of Christ, our sins were forgiven, but they disagree as to exactly how that worked. There are many different atonement theories as a result.
For AO1 you need to know the main three theories of the atonement.
For AO2 you need to be able to debate:
Whether the theories of atonement are compatible with each other.
Whether the theories of atonement suggest a cruel God.
Divine forgiveness. Whether humans needed divine forgiveness.
Wrath vs Love. Whether there is a conflict between God’s wrath and God’s love.
Early Model: Sacrifice: Sacrifice in the Old Testament mends the relationship between people and God. Jesus is referred to as the lamb of God, symbolizing a sacrifice for humanity's sins.
Christus Victor: A reinterpretation of the Ransom Model, suggesting Jesus defeated evil through his sacrifice, freeing humanity from sin.
Satisfaction & Penal Substitution Theory: Anselm's Satisfaction Theory and the Penal Substitution Theory by reformers propose that Jesus' sacrifice satisfied God's justice and wrath against sin.
Moral Exemplar/Influence Theory: Abelard's theory emphasizes Jesus' death as a moral example influencing humanity to act morally, leading to salvation.
Consistency of Atonement Theories: Scholars like Abelard, N.T. Wright, and W.L. Craig argue that different atonement theories are valid explanations, with each emphasizing a central theory.
Critiques and Responses: Some argue that God's justice and love may conflict, while others defend the necessity of the crucifixion for atonement. Theories like Penal Substitution and Christus Victor are seen as central but not exclusive.
Debates: Theological debates continue on the nature of atonement, with discussions on God's justice, love, and the compatibility of different theories.
For AO1 you need to know the main three theories of the atonement.
Christus Victor
Substitution theory
The moral exemplar theory
The underlying assumptions in Atonement theories about the need for divine forgiveness and the conflict between God’s wrath and God’s love.
For AO2 you need to be able to debate:
Whether the theories of atonement are compatible with each other.
Whether the theories of atonement suggest a cruel God.
Divine forgiveness. Whether humans needed divine forgiveness.
Wrath vs Love. Whether there is a conflict between God’s wrath and God’s love.
Adam and Eve’s disobedience of God is referred to as the fall because it introduced original sin, which all humans inherited, into the world. The result is that humans fell out of God’s grace, but Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is seen as in some way fixing that problem of humanity’s original sin such that we can be in God’s grace again.
All Christians agree that through the death of Christ, our sins were forgiven, but they disagree as to exactly how that worked. There are many different atonement theories as a result.
For AO1 you need to know the main three theories of the atonement.
For AO2 you need to be able to debate:
Whether the theories of atonement are compatible with each other.
Whether the theories of atonement suggest a cruel God.
Divine forgiveness. Whether humans needed divine forgiveness.
Wrath vs Love. Whether there is a conflict between God’s wrath and God’s love.
Early Model: Sacrifice: Sacrifice in the Old Testament mends the relationship between people and God. Jesus is referred to as the lamb of God, symbolizing a sacrifice for humanity's sins.
Christus Victor: A reinterpretation of the Ransom Model, suggesting Jesus defeated evil through his sacrifice, freeing humanity from sin.
Satisfaction & Penal Substitution Theory: Anselm's Satisfaction Theory and the Penal Substitution Theory by reformers propose that Jesus' sacrifice satisfied God's justice and wrath against sin.
Moral Exemplar/Influence Theory: Abelard's theory emphasizes Jesus' death as a moral example influencing humanity to act morally, leading to salvation.
Consistency of Atonement Theories: Scholars like Abelard, N.T. Wright, and W.L. Craig argue that different atonement theories are valid explanations, with each emphasizing a central theory.
Critiques and Responses: Some argue that God's justice and love may conflict, while others defend the necessity of the crucifixion for atonement. Theories like Penal Substitution and Christus Victor are seen as central but not exclusive.
Debates: Theological debates continue on the nature of atonement, with discussions on God's justice, love, and the compatibility of different theories.
