The Atonement Part 12: Series Overview and Conclusion

Where have we been and what conclusions have we come to with atonement?   Intro  • What is Atonement? We saw that the word atonement is an etymology (At- One- Ment) but the Bible speaks more of the words (KPR and hilasterion) translated as atonement as covering or purging. Expiation of sin not propitiation of wrath. God is not acted upon, sin is.   Sacrificial system  Sacrifices:  o Burnt offering is about a gift and just wanting to spend time with God.   o Grain offering is about remembering the covenant  o The well-being (Peace) offering is simply a thank you to God  o The Purification (sin) offering is about cleansing sacred space  o The guilt or reparation offering is about repayment for an unintentional sin (humans making things right with other covenant members and recommitting to the Covenant with God)  • Blood: the blood manipulation was about cleansing sacred space. In combination with atonement language, it meant to purge or cover to decontaminate the sanctuary. The blood was never applied to people except in the ordination of the priests or when the covenant was enacted at Sinai. It was a ritual detergent… the ancient power washer. Blood represented life and not death.   • Laying on of hands: Was not transferring sin but rather setting apart the animal for a purpose  • The animals were never a substitute for the person  • We saw that blood was not requires for forgiveness (there was no sacrifice for intentional sins). There are many examples of sacrifices that were not animals and didn’t require blood for forgiveness.   Exodus is the central image of the cross in the Bible. Jesus dies during Passover so we need to make this our main motif of interpreting the cross  Day of Atonement   Isaiah 53  The Gospels and Acts  Romans   Hebrews  o By offering his own life and blood Jesus made purification (1:3) and atonement for sin (2:17- 18).   Died for us  - Huper and peri are always used in the “for us” and “for our sins” verses.   Legal Framework   Righteousness and Justification   Imputation   Atonement History and Church Fathers  Recap Framing questions  • Retribution or Restoration?  • Substitution or Representation?  • Transaction or Transformation?  • Judicial or Relational?   • Did God need his mind changed about us or our mind about God?  • Is there a debt owed? How does the cross bring about justice?  • Holiness and/or Love… are they opposed to each other?  • Who killed Jesus? God or us?  • Is our view of the cross to individualistic?   Recap Atonement theories   Moral Influence Theory  Ransom Theory    Christus Victor    Satisfaction theory    Penal Substitutionary Atonement    The Scapegoat Theory   Recapitulation   • New Covenant Theory  Do we see one theory or many in the scriptures? Do we see any non-existent theories or themes in scripture on this list? Golf club analogy… What do we think are the major themes and how do they work together?