The Cross, the Empty Tomb
Paul wrote in the book of Romans, that “… if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
The cross and resurrection are the central events of our faith. Most of us are content to agree with Paul and let the matter rest. But have you wondered how, exactly, these moving parts had a vital part in achieving your own salvation? Many have, even dating back to the First Century. Their explanations, called “atonement theories,” have reflected the sociopolitical climate from which they emerged. Each theory has at least some truth, but none has risen to the level of orthodoxy.
Let’s look at them in historical order.
First and Second Centuries, before 450 AD
In a world where war and slavery would be at the top of the daily news, the work of Jesus was pictured as a great conflict between good and evil forces.
Because all have sinned, God’s wrath had justly consigned humanity to a prison run by the Devil. Only Jesus can free the prisoners from their desperate situation. Jesus’s sacrifice1 on the cross serves is a ransom payment,2 and the prisoners go free. The resurrection is the final battle, and Jesus is declared to be the victor.
Weakness: To whom is the ransom paid? Not the Devil; he is not the warden of hell but its first prisoner. This theory puts too much blame on the Devil, rather than the human sin where the blame belongs. This theory is favored today among Eastern Orthodox Christians.
The Middle Ages c. 500 AD
Background: Feudalism and the fear of offending the feudal lord.
The abundance of sin in the world offends God , who is pictured as a feudal lord who demands satisfaction because his laws have been violated. Jesus’ death on the cross fills a treasury of grace which priests dispense according to the confessions of the faithful, a system of penance, and the mass.
Weakness: This theory puts too much emphasis on God’s wrath and too little emphasis on God’s love. The mass replaces Jesus’ once-for-all atonement and inserts a priesthood between human individuals and God. This theory is favored today by Roman Catholics.
The Reformation, c. 1500 AD
Background: The Renaissance years. Recovery of civil laws. The church-state unity weakening. Luther and the Protestant Revolution.
Sin is the cause of God’s wrath and must be punished. Christ intervenes and takes the just punishment of believers onto himself. God acquiesced to his son’s death on the cross. This system was well served by Western deductive reasoning, as was Calvinism which was a derivative and where it can be found today.
Weakness: Low regard for John 3:16 (love) and high regard for God’s wrath. God’s presence at the cross is doubted.
The Enlightenment, c. 1800 AD
Background: The dawn of the age of science and reason.
Stresses God’s love, minimizes sin. Christ’s Crucifixion was a supreme example of brotherly love.
Weakness: Deemphasizes the importance of sin. Today this theory is popular among liberals. But how can Christ’s death be a demonstration of God’s love if the humanity is not lost in sin? The cross was unnecessary and served no purpose.
Modern. c. 2000 AD
Background: Divine Council Worldview (M. S. Heiser3)
Heiser argues that the three members of the trinity tend to be blurred in the Old Testament, “but the New Testament also identifies the Spirit with Jesus.” He sees the Spirit as the vehicle for achieving God’s objective of returning the earth to Eden, but that this work of the Spirit must be accomplished by humans who have been properly prepared. Step one was Deut. 32:9, Abraham’s portion. Step 2 was the incarnation which d provided the teaching and the community for the Spirit’s work to take place.
Applying this insight to John 16:7, Jesus can’t initiate the ministry of the Spirit while he is still incarnate:
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection therefore opens the door 5 for the pouring out of the Spirit, which empowers the church at Pentecost.6 Salvation now rests with evangelism empowered by the Holy Spirit. But this plan, put in place before the foundation of the worlds, had to remain a closely held secret lest the powers of the World prevent it:
6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:6-8
This explains the “Messianic Secret” passages in the Synoptics and the fact that Jesus spent his last days on earth engineering his crucifixion by his provocative “triumphal” entry into Jerusalem, turning over the money tables, remaining mute before Herod, and insulting as many Jewish officials as possible.
Heiser’s logic provides an alternative to the atonement theories. The cross and empty tomb would not really be an atonement, but an important step in accomplishing the salvation of John 3:17.
Weakness: This is a very recent view and is not counted among the recognized atonement theories. It needs to stand the test of time.