Atonement in Ministry: An Introduction

Theological discussion and debate sometimes feel like a lot of hair-splitting – and for what, exactly?  So I’ve written a series of posts by addressing the person who is not attracted to theology.  I will address nine major reasons why the Christian theology of the atonement (how Jesus saves us, and from what) matters a great deal.

I focus on a theory called penal substitution commonly held by evangelical Protestants, Calvinists and Arminians alike.  I will contrast penal substitution with another atonement theory which I’m calling medical substitution, or ontological substitution.  It focuses on the importance of Jesus’ human nature and human faithfulness. Theologian T.F. Torrance called it total substitution.  Some in the Eastern Orthodox tradition call it therapeutic substitution.  The earliest Christian theologians, even prior to the great Nicene Council (325 AD), called it recapitulation (Irenaeus) or the reconciling exchange (Athanasius).  Hence it has the distinction of being the earliest understanding of how Jesus saves us, and from what.  

Future blog posts will focus on Scripture and early church interpretation.