In my last post, I explored the reality of sin – what it is, what it costs, and why it matters that we acknowledge it in our lives and in our human nature before offering a solution. We established that every human being stands in crisis before a holy God – that sin is not just a behavioral problem but a condition that requires transformation and a guilt that requires atonement. For me personally, acknowledging that reality was the beginning of everything. But acknowledgment alone is not salvation. We recognize we were drowning – and that no amount of effort on our part could save us. Now the question becomes: who pulled us out, and how?  That answer takes us to the very heart of what we believe as followers of Christ – the cross. But what exactly does that mean? What happened at the cross, and what did Jesus’ death accomplish? The cross is where Christ stepped in our place – taking on what we deserved so that we could receive what we never could have on our own. This is the message of Christ, and it is far deeper and more beautiful than most of us realize.

Millard Erickson, in his book Christian Theology, introduces us to several atonement theories that, on their own, are incomplete, but each captures a different dimension of what the cross accomplished. Erickson continues to point out that the significance of the atonement shifts our focus to Christ’s active work on our behalf and that the atonement has made our salvation possible.[1] Within all of these atonement theories, a facet of truth is revealed according to Erickson, “In his death, Christ (1) gave us a perfect example of the type of dedication God desires of us, (2) demonstrated the great extent of God’s love, (3) underscored the seriousness of sin and the severity of God’s righteousness, (4) triumphed over the forces of sin and death, liberating us from their power, and (5) rendered satisfaction to the Father for our sins.”^[2]Humanity needed every single one of these things done on our behalf – and Christ, in His perfect work on the cross, accomplished them all, restoring our relationship with the Father.

As we fully grasp what the cross actually did for us, Erickson states that we need to understand not only the human condition and its depravity, but also the nature of God, the status of the law, and the Old Testament sacrificial system.[3] Erickson continues to argue that God's nature is perfect, loving, and completely holy, and that the law is a transcript of that nature.[4] He continues to point out the important fact that disobeying the law is not serious because the law itself has value that must be preserved; rather, disobeying is an attack on God himself.[5] An understanding of the Old Testament sacrificial system is critical to understand Christ’s atoning death on the cross. Erickson clearly summarizes that the sacrifices were necessary to atone for the sin of mankind, an offense against God himself that inherently deserved punishment.[6] In addition, the sacrifice was offered as a substitute for the sinner, bearing the sinner’s guilt.[7] The work of Christ on the cross and its substitutionary character take on the iniquity of sinners, transferred to the suffering servant, just as in Old Testament rites, the sins were transferred to the sacrificial animal.^[8] Isaiah gives us a beautiful description of what our Lord, the Suffering Servant, accomplished at the cross and for each one of us, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:11, ESV).

Erickson suggests that the penal substitution theory best describes the atonement in this regard.[9] Erickson points out that the “substitutionary theory of the atoning death of Christ, when grasped in all its complexity, is a rich and meaningful truth. It carries several major implications for our understanding of salvation.”^[10] The implications stated by Erickson include:

1.      Penal substitution shows how serious sin is. Humans cannot save themselves, therefore Jesus had to die.

2.     God is both just and loving. He requires punishment for sin, but in love, He took on that punishment Himself.

3.     Salvation comes only through grace and Jesus’ death. His sacrifice is enough for people; no human effort can fulfill this.

4.     Believers can be secure because their relationship with God is based on Christ’s finished work, not their feelings.

5.     Salvation is free to us, but it cost God greatly. We should respond with gratitude, love, and a life that reflects Him.[11]

 

 

If we, as disciple makers, proclaim the gospel of Christ and grasp the meaning of the cross deeply, understanding Christ’s substitution for what we all deserve, we become grateful recipients of the grace and mercy offered by our loving Father. As Christopher Moody, in his book, Disciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology of the Church, points out, “by the work of the Holy Spirit, an egocentric soul can become aware of his depravity and God’s great grace through Christ’s atonement. Through this internal work in the new disciple of Christ, the Holy Spirit has made unwelcome news into Good News!”^[12]  The atonement is Christ reaching into the water and making the rescue possible – but how does that rescue become real and personal in the human soul? That is not a question of history or theology alone – it is the work of a Person. As Paul prays in Ephesians 3:17-19, this is what it looks like when the work of Christ truly takes root -  “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” In our next post, we turn to the third person of the Trinity, the One who takes the finished work of Christ and makes that kind of fullness possible – the Holy Spirit.