As I have demonstrated through this series, our world is in a seemingly hopeless condition resulting from each individual’s choices to sin. This is made all the more difficult through the profound rebellious influence of the demonic realm. Sinful choices have resulted in much pain and suffering, and ultimately in death. We experience the effects of sin within our own bodies, and as we obey the desires of the flesh, our souls are drawn away from the desire to live our lives in accordance with God’s purposes for us. Once God’s perfect creation was corrupted in part, the whole of creation was inevitably corrupted. Why would an all-knowing, all-powerful, all benevolent God design a world that could so easily go wrong? The answer lies in “Felix Culpa.”
The Fortunate Fall
Felix Culpa, which translates to “the fortunate fall,” explains that a fallen world which experiences the incarnation of Jesus Christ and His atonement for sin is better than a world that never experiences the Fall and lacks those goods. His incarnation and atonement are far greater than the sum of all the evils of this world, and they are so good because of the existence of those evils (this video explains). I hope to show in the remainder of this series how this difficult claim is true.
Definitions
First, let’s define our terms. “Incarnation” is the taking on of flesh. In Christianity, this is the belief that Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God who became a human being, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. As it says in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“Atonement” is the reconciliation of sinful human beings to God, which is accomplished through Jesus Christ. While the meaning of the incarnation is not particularly controversial among orthodox Christians, a proper understanding of the atonement has been much debated throughout the history of the Christian Church. Most popular in America has been “penal substitutionary theory,” though historically Christians have also held to views under such names as “Christus Victor,” “ransom theory,” “satisfaction theory,” and “moral influence theory.”
While each of these models fits the basic definition of the atonement, there are substantial differences in the mechanics of just how Jesus has reconciled believers to God. Penal substitution and satisfaction theories emphasize how Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied God’s wrath towards guilty sinners, while Christus Victor and ransom theory put the emphasis on God’s rescuing of sinners from enslavement to the Devil. Therefore we see a tension between God’s anger and the compassion of Christ. I would like to share how I have come to make sense of the atonement, and how I tie these two aspects together by also connecting the incarnation to the atonement.
A Nagging Question
As someone who has grown up in the American Church, there’s been a question that has not been answered to my satisfaction: If Jesus “took away” the punishment for my sin on the cross, why would my punishment for rejecting Christ not also be to die by crucifixion? It seems that the punishment He endured on the cross was far greater than what most (if not all) of us will suffer in this life, but what followed was not the same as what we would suffer in the next. Most Christians believe that those who die apart from His atonement will live eternally in a conscious state of separation from God. A minority believe that both body and soul will be annihilated in hell. Jesus did not suffer an eternity in hell, nor was He annihilated. As Jesus says in Matthew 25:46, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” So if the cross is seen as the punishment due for our sins, then it is not the punishment described in this verse. (I will offer an explanation for eternal punishment in part 7.) While the way in which He died is significant, what is most important is that He died.
A Genuine Incarnation
As Romans 6:23 tells us, “the wages of sin is death.” Going back to Adam: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” (Genesis 2:16-17) The consequence of sin is death, and though Jesus did not sin, He took on its consequences in the flesh. Through the incarnation, Jesus lived a genuine human experience, and that experience needed to include death and suffering. It is truly mind-blowing to think that the eternally existent Creator God of the universe would Himself experience death as a consequence of sin. And to think that He did this by His own free choice!
Much of my view of the atonement is shaped by my study into the book of Hebrews. The author makes a number of points that are relevant here. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9) The emphasis on Jesus “tasting” death for everyone is illuminating.
“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (2:14-15) Here we see the connection to the incarnation, with the emphasis on Jesus sharing in our flesh and blood.
This is an act of God’s compassion and love for us, that He condescended to our level of experience so that we could be freed from the power of death and the Devil would be defeated. Score a point for Christus Victor. But there’s something more fundamental than victory over Satan.
A Sympathetic High Priest
Continuing in Hebrews: “For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (2:16-17) Here, the author makes the connection specifically to his Jewish audience. Jesus was in every way a fellow Jew, and therefore qualified to minister as High Priest and make atonement for their sins.
“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” (2:18) And further on, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (4:15) The heavy emphasis on Christ being able to sympathize with us in our experiences, whether that be in temptation, or suffering, or even death, is significant, and opens a door to a fuller understanding of the atonement: one that sees its primary purpose in the healing of the human condition.
Healing a Sin-Sick World
Consider the analogy Jesus prophetically uses to describe His death on the cross: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15) Jesus likens Himself to a symbol of healing from Israel’s past: “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8-9) Therefore we have a healing aspect of the atonement that is sufficient for all who will look upon it to be healed.
This also brings continuity to Jesus’ healing ministry. As He healed those who were sick, disabled, or even had passed away, He gave a glimpse of what the future holds for those who are in His Kingdom. Revelation 21:4-5a says: “‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’”
Someday the restoration will be complete. This restoration will not only be for us, but for the created world, which also suffers from disorder as a consequence of sin. As Paul writes to the Romans: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:18-23) The end result of the atonement is a world and a people restored to their good teleological purposes, free from the effects of sin and the influence of the Devil, flourishing in the perfect will of God.
Looking Ahead
This is a beautiful picture, but how is it better than a world that never fell into sin in the first place? Couldn’t God have spared us (and Himself) a lot of trouble? We haven’t really proved Felix Culpa to be true, have we? In order to do so, there must be something more to the atonement that brings about a better end than where we started. The answer is multi-faceted, but can be summed up in the concept of self-sacrificial love. I will discuss this next time as we look at “Atonement Through Sacrifice.”
4. The Spiritual War
5. Atonement Through Incarnation
7. Resurrection
