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The Natures of Christ
In Christian theology, Christ is believed to have two natures: a divine nature and a human nature.
The divine nature of Christ refers to his everlasting and unchanging nature as the Son of God. This nature is believed to be fully God, possessing all the attributes of deity, including omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence This divine nature is endless and uncreated, existing before time began. (Colossians 2:9,: 1:15. John 1:18, 14:9)
Rather than saying that He and God the Father are the same person in John 10:30, using the word "one" here, Jesus implies that they are in "unity." Thereby claiming that He and God are unified, a partial explanation of the Trinity. Looking at John 1:1-5 the passage emphasizes the eternal existence and divine nature of Jesus Christ, referred to as "the Word." The Word is described as being with God and being God Himself, highlighting the unity and equality between Jesus and God the Father, this unity is further emphasized by the statement that all things were made through the Word, indicating that Jesus played a central role in the creation of the world. Inclusive, the passage speaks to the life and light Jesus brings to humanity, symbolizing spiritual enlightenment and salvation.
Though in the form of God, he emptied Himself of glory, as in Philippians 2:6-8. The passage emphasizes the reality of our Lord’s humility, so on his own will, he stepped down from the glory he had with the Father before the world was. He willingly gave up his divine privileges and took on the form of a servant, even to the point of death on the cross for the forgiveness of sin. This act of selflessness and sacrifice demonstrates his love for us and obedience to God the Father’s will. The passage underscores the belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ and His role in the salvation and redemption of humanity.
The human nature of Christ refers to his physical and emotional nature as a human being. This nature is believed to be fully human, possessing all the attributes of humanity, including a physical body, emotions, and the ability to experience pain and suffering. This human nature is also sinless, as Christ lived a perfect and blameless life on earth.
Researchers often see the Son of Man, and the Son of God as contrasting titles. Originally, these designations were understood in light of Christ’s two natures. However, the Son of Man is the title Jesus used when referring to Himself, e.g., in Matthew 12:32; 13:37; Luke 12:8; and John 1:51. Even Stephen as he was being martyred uses the title Son of Man in a clear reference to Jesus, spoken by someone other than Jesus, as in Acts 7:56. Son of man is simply an indirect term for “human.” Jesus Christ was truly a human being. He came “in the flesh”, per the humility of Jesus, he refers to himself as the Son of Man, a title of humility. Per 1 John 4:2-3, anyone professing to be under the influence of the Spirit of God would confess this. This is how, those who call by the name of Christ, come to understand and know why He is the only mediator to God, (1 Timothy 2:5) and so the fate of the unbelieving atheist who has yet to know Christ cannot be a matter of unimportance. Anyone animated by some other spirit, as in the spirit of error and deceit, would deny this.
The concept of the dual nature of Christ is known as the hypostatic union, which teaches that Christ is both fully God and fully human at the same time. This union is a vital principle of Christian theology and is believed to be essential for understanding the person and work of Christ in salvation.
The Offices of Christ
The essential relationship between God and man is expressed in the work that Christ accomplished. The principle underlies the title which pertains to the perfect fulfillment of certain basic functions or offices. These offices are classified as prophetic, priestly, and kingly.
Before the Fall and After the Fall:
1. Prophet: The authority of Jesus goes beyond that of man, even beyond Moses, who gave the Law, because Jesus is not a mere commentator and exhorter of the word, but the very source itself. Scripture tells us that being one with the Father, Jesus is the power and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). Indeed, when Exodus 20 says, “Then God spoke all these words,” and gave the Ten Commandments, it’s as if Jesus was the one who spoke those words to Moses, for Moses gave the Jewish people what God had given him. Whatever we hear from God, Jesus says. (John 12:49; 14:10) Believers recognize Jesus in John 1:1, as the word of God who was with the Father in the beginning, whereas in John 1:14 became flesh and dwelt among men. Thus, Christ as a person in the Trinity, was a prophet before the fall, articulating messages of guidance and instruction to Adam on God’s behalf as speech.
2. Priest: Before the Fall, Adam did not need a priest, but after sin entered the world sacrifices had to be offered to appease God. Hence after the fall, Christ also acted as a priest, referred to as Melchizedek interceding on behalf of humanity and offering sacrifices for sin. The somewhat mysterious Old Testament passages concerning Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20; Psalm 110:4) have given substance to these offices. They were certainly interpreted by the author of the book of Hebrews as foreshadowing the priesthood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7), a priesthood that is sinless (7:26-28), permanent (7:24-25, 28), and grounded in a divine oath (7:20-22); later on, He reconciled God and humanity serving as the mediator through his sacrificial death.
3. King: Christ exercised kingly authority, before the fall and after. Being united with the Father as one, He rules over creation guiding humanity in righteousness and justice. He established order and harmony in the world, leading people in the ways of God's kingdom. He reigns as king in His dominion and exercises, legislative, executive, judiciary, economic, and military prerogatives. He exercises unlimited power over the existence and properties of his subjects. It is this kind of expectation of a Messianic kingship that was alive in the hearts of pious men of God unto the coming of Christ (Isaiah 55:3-4; Jeremiah 23:5; 30:9; Ezekiel 34:22-24; 37:24, 25; Amos 9:11; Zechariah 9:9; etc.).
Jesus as 2nd Adam, with no sin, and three offices:
Jesus is often referred to as the second Adam because, like Adam, he represents humanity in a significant way. However, unlike Adam, Jesus lived perfectly fulfilling God’s will with a sinless life. This makes him the perfect representative of humanity before God.
In 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, the Apostle Paul tells us the difference between two kinds of bodies, i.e., the natural and the spiritual. Genesis 2:7 speaks of the first man, Adam, becoming a living person. Adam was made from the dust of the ground, and given the breath of life from God. Every human being since that time has shared the same characteristics. But, Jesus as the last Adam or the “second Adam”—is a life-giving Spirit. Just as Adam was the first human race, Christ was the first raised from the dead to eternal life. (Colossians 1:18) Because Christ rose from the dead, He is “a life-giving spirit” who entered a new form of existence. He is the source of the spiritual life that will result in believers' resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:20-21) Christ’s new glorified human body now suits His new, glorified, spiritual life—just as Adam’s human body was suitable to his natural life. When believers are resurrected, God will give them transformed, eternal bodies suited to everlasting life, i.e., 1 Corinthians 15:52.
Moreover, in addition to being the second Adam, Jesus holds the three offices: prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet, Jesus proclaimed the word of God and revealed God's truth to humanity. Bridging the gap between humanity and God, he offered himself as a sacrifice for the world's sins, as a priest, and Jesus will rule over all creation as a king on the day He returns to sit on the Throne of David as king on earth.
Overall, Jesus, as the second Adam with no sin and holding the three offices, demonstrates his unique role in salvation history and authority over all creation.
The Atonement through Christ
The atonement is the central belief in Christianity whereby Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sacrificed himself on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of humanity. This atonement brings about the reconciliation of God and humanity, not only forgiveness but also the restoration of the relationship. (1 Peter 3:18)
The concept of atonement through Christ is based on the fact that all humans are sinful and separated from God, (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23) though enemies by our declaration and actions, God’s love desires that we be reconciled to Him, but sin cannot go unpunished because of God’s just nature. Thus, sin is a debt that needs to be paid sacrificially. The problem is that God is of the highest divinity, and so requires no ordinary peace offering, but one without defect or blemish, meaning pure and holy without sin; and since mankind is sinful, he is not an acceptable offering, and therefore he cannot pay the debt by himself. Hence, having lived a perfect life necessitated Jesus to offer himself the perfect sacrifice, and pay the cost of sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In light of the preceding, the separation can only be resolved at the cost of Jesus' life. Jesus paid the ultimate payment for humanity's crimes by taking on the sins of the world and dying on the cross, providing forgiveness to everyone who believes in him. Thus, the core of Christian salvation is the belief in the atonement made through Jesus Christ, the rock foundation of the church. By trusting in Jesus, Christians are redeemed, pardoned, and granted eternal life with God.
Atonement - Expiation, Redemption
As mentioned in scripture, Expiation is the act of making amends for sin or transgression through sacrifice or other methods. To atone for sins, offering animal sacrifices to God was prescribed for forgiveness in the First Covenant, or what is known as the Old Covenant of Law. The blood of the offered animal represented atonement and purity. But this is merely a band-aid solution to cover wrongdoing or shame. A "reprieve," if you will. The Hebrew words for "atonement" are derived from the root "Kaphar," which conveys the sense of "covering." Examples include applying tar to a ship's hull to stop leaks or, covering the floor with a rug, as in a carpet, in our time. Thus, guilt remains under the Law of the Covenant, as in Hebrews 10:1-2. On the other hand, Expiation means “to extinguish guilt incurred.” And to profitably avail the benefits that come from the death of the Messiah, we may add to that, propitiation the meaning of which is essentially the same but adds the additional dimension of appeasement of anger, as in Romans 3:25. In the full sense of the work of Christ therefore, the benefits derived from His death on the cross are appropriately described by the terms’ atonement, propitiation, and expiation.
From the preceding, it is plain to see that the sins committed under the First or Old Covenant were not fully extinguished by their acts of atonement, but that it was merely hidden from God’s sight (Hebrews 10:11), as from a covering. They have to wait for (total) absolution through the death of Christ, which would come some 1,524 years from the First Covenant to the Second Covenant through the blood of Christ, per Hebrews 9:15. This is because the only one who can provide effective propitiation is no other than Jesus.
And so, in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is portrayed as the ultimate expiation for sin. Whereby to Christians, Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross served as a perfect atonement for the sins of humanity. As cause and effect of the preceding, sins are paid for in full and permanently erased from the record, God is appeased, and relationship with Him is restored, the act of reconciliation. All of the above, constitute the act of Redemption, which is central to the Christian faith. By definition, it is the work that Christ did on our behalf when we were bought out at the price of his own life as a ransom to secure our release from the slavery and guilt of sin. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Overall, the concept of expiation in the Bible emphasizes the need for repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation with God, to be freed from the burden of sin and guilt. It highlights the importance of seeking forgiveness and making amends for wrongdoing to restore a right relationship with God and others. (Luke 24:45-47)
Necessity
In Christianity, God provided atonement for humanity through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Accordingly, Jesus' death served as a substitutionary atonement for sins, offering forgiveness and reconciliation with God to those who believe in Him. This belief is essential to the Christian faith and is based on passages in the Bible, such as John 3:16, which states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Thus, believers can be forgiven of sins and have a restored relationship with God through Jesus' sacrifice.
Christ's death is a central belief in Christianity as the ultimate sacrifice that atones for sins. Scripture tells us all humans are born with a sinful nature, this has been attributed to the sin of the first man, Adam, who disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit; as in Genesis 2:17, the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. This sinful nature was passed down to his descendants by heredity, as in Genesis 5:1-3. Thus the act of disobedience brought about the sin that separated humanity from God and resulted in spiritual death.
How this separation is overcome is found in Christ's death, described by the gospel preached by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:2-4, which he referred to as grace in Ephesians 2:8-9. Accordingly, the gospel consists of three parts. By willingly sacrificing himself, Christ took on man’s sins, paying the price for them—the first part of the gospel. The second part of the gospel is Christ's body being buried, and the 3rd part concludes the gospel, with Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Through faith in this act of love and sacrifice made by Christ, the gospel makes it possible for God and humanity to be reconciled, leading to redemption and salvation for everyone who believes in Christ, as in Romans 6:23.
Redemption comes through Christ's blood, poured on the cross, (Colossians 1:20) whereas the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22; Leviticus 17:11) However, the pouring of the blood of Christ led, as well, to the replacement of the Old Covenant of Law with the New Covenant of Grace (Matthew 26:28).
When a man receives the said grace by faith, the man undergoes a process relative to the gospel, whereby the believer is transformed into the image of the son of God, as in Romans 8:29. It is believed that his old sinful Adamic self is crucified with Christ; having died, the Old self-life was also buried with Him, hence upon Jesus' resurrection, the man also is raised shed of his sinful Adamic nature thereby having a new life. All this is symbolically represented in the Christian water baptismal rite (Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:11-12; Ephesians 2:10; 4:22-24). Without Christ's death, there would be no way for humanity to be reconciled with God and be saved from the consequences of sin.
Relatively, Swiss theologian Karl Barth’s theological concept tells us that God's reconciliation was not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that continues to transform and renew individuals and the world. Whereby believers get forgiveness, grace, and eternal life through Christ's death and resurrection. Thus, the necessity of Christ's death is a fundamental creed of Christian faith and is vital to the Christian understanding of salvation.
Nature
Objectivism is a philosophy that holds that people are in charge of their decisions and actions, hence atonement or pleading with a higher power for forgiveness is not necessary. Rather, people are urged to own up to their mistakes, grow from them, and work toward bettering themselves and achieving their objectives.
Conversely, theologically speaking, Atonement refers to the reconciliation of humanity and God through Jesus Christ's atoning death, contrary to objectivism, which endorses dependence on God. The idea of atonement might not be directly related to objectivism, which emphasizes personal accountability and reasonable self-interest over theological ideas of sin and salvation. But since atonement symbolizes a kind of accountability and responsibility for one's acts, whereby one seeks to recover oneself, then on that basis, one could say it is congruent with objectivist concepts.
Anselm, a theologian of medieval times, came out with the satisfaction theory on Atonement, which holds that Jesus' death satisfied the demands of divine justice and reconciliation of mankind with God. The theory embraces the precept that the only logically possible means of rapprochement between God and sinful humanity was through the death of the God-human (Christ) on the cross. Christ's boundless merits make atonement possible, and purify humanity in a collective act of re-creation (Ephesians 4:24). Anselm’s doctrine of the Atonement passed over into theology, forming the basis of concepts of the work of Christ.
He said: "And I do not seek to understand that I may believe but believe that I might understand. For this too, I believe since, unless I first believe, I shall not understand." Anselm, argues that while reason can build upon faith, faith comes before reason.
Anselm's theory of atonement, as outlined in his work "Cur Deus Homo" (Why God Became Man), is often seen as aligning with an objectivist perspective. He argues that since the atonement was necessary, it can be taken as an objective act that addresses the objective reality of sin and its consequences.
Anselm's theory emphasizes the objective nature of sin and the need for a satisfactory payment to restore the relationship between humanity and God. This payment is perceived as necessary to uphold divine justice and maintain the order of the universe. Seeing that from an objectivist standpoint, atonement becomes a tangible and required activity rather than just a subjective experience or emotional reaction.
Overall, Anselm's theory of atonement can be understood as aligning with objectivism in its emphasis on the objective nature of sin, justice, and the need for a satisfactory payment to restore the balance disrupted by human sin.
Subjectivism is the belief that moral judgments are based on individual feelings and opinions rather than objective truths. Relative to atonement it refers to the idea that the effectiveness or meaning of atonement is subjective and can vary from person to person. This perspective suggests that individuals may have different beliefs, experiences, and interpretations of atonement and that there is no universal truth or understanding of how atonement works.
Since generally, atonement is an act of making amends for wrongdoing or mistake, then on that basis, atonement may also be seen as a personal and subjective process. Whereby each individual may have their own beliefs and values that guide their understanding of what constitutes atonement for a particular wrongdoing. This could involve seeking forgiveness from those who got hurt, making reparations for damages, or taking other actions to make things right in their own eyes.
Distinctly, Christianity’s concept of atonement is the process by which Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross reconciles humanity with God and forgiveness for sins. As per Anselm's theory, this concept is seen as leaning on objective truths and principles within Christian theology rather than subjective feelings or opinions.
In the same medieval period, the philosopher Peter Abelard developed a subjective theory known as the Moral Influence View. According to this theory, Christ's passion was an act of exemplary obedience that affects the intentions of those who know about it. That the crucifixion was primarily about revealing God’s love and inspiring charity. The view was put forward in opposition to Anselm's view of objectivism in atonement. As a subjectivist theory, Abelard focuses on why Christ did it, vis-a-vis Anselm’s objectivist theory on what was done.
Both theoretical viewpoints, however, share profound structural similarities of redemption, which is the atonement of Christ, the ultimate solution to the problem of God’s apparent justice for sin, thereby revealing His love and offer of reconciliation to humankind.
Synthetism One other theory related to atonement in Christianity is the "Synthetic Theory", also known as the "Ransom Theory" or "Christus Victor". Like the other theories on the nature of atonement, this theory also emphasizes humanity’s restoration of a right relationship with God, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, but highlights Christ’s victory through His death over the forces of darkness; defeating the powers of sin, death, and evil thereby securing humanity's liberation from bondage to sin (1 John3:8).
It sees God as the main participant in a "continuous divine work" where Christ becomes a man and makes the transaction on his behalf, altering the world's salvation history. According to this perspective, the cross was a decisive encounter with evil rather than merely a representation of love. The strength of this view is that it doesn’t see Jesus’ work as just a “moral motif”. Something that merely conveys moral values or lessons for humankind to follow but also considers the strong supernatural element, which cannot be adequately articulated, where God as a man died and was resurrected as ordained in His eternal plan.
Extent
A fundamental principle of all atonement theologies is substitution, which Scripture makes explicitly clear that Christ sacrificed Himself in place of others (Isaiah 53:5-6). In other words, by offering Himself in place of sinners, Jesus paid the price of sin that sinful humans cannot manage to pay for himself. "Said differently, the statement that he died for sinners raises the question of whether Jesus died for all sinners who ever live." Did God intend for all to be put right by Jesus' death?
Our response to this question would reflect what we think Jesus accomplished on the cross. Jesus dying for a select few would mean that God intended the atonement of Christ’s effectiveness to be limited. Thus, as a consequence of this view, Jesus died for the elect only; whereby the atonement guarantees salvation to those it was offered, with the assurance that they will trust Christ. Conversely, Jesus' death atones for everyone, meaning unlimited, but some choose not to be saved, limiting its effectiveness by their decision, dependent on choice if you will. According to this perspective, salvation becomes possible only for those who will choose to place their confidence in Him, as in John 3:16.
In the former, they find it hard to embrace the notion of an atonement that is merely potential for those who choose to accept what is being offered, that's because they thought they could not decide on their own so they say God chose to decide for them. However, God can't do that because that would mean he had removed free will which He granted to humanity having created man in His image (Genesis 1:27). Whereby, that image had been changed into a different nature called sinful brought about by that free will (Genesis 5:1-3). Thereby enabling them to remove their trust in God breaking the relationship starting from Genesis 3. Consequently, God made use of man’s fallen stature in showing His love and mercy (Romans 11:32), through the offering of Jesus’ atonement that the sins of the latter who recognize this would choose to believe (John 11:25), thus their sins all paid for and their relationship with God restored, guaranteeing their salvation.
In essence, the concept of atonement of Christ is not just about potential forgiveness for those who choose to accept it, but rather a demonstration of God's love and mercy for all humanity. It is a way for God to restore the broken relationship between Himself and mankind, and to offer salvation to those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is not about God choosing for us, but rather about us electing to accept the gift of atonement that has been freely given to us. It is a way for us to acknowledge our sinful nature and to turn back to God in repentance and faith (Romans 7:21-25). Ultimately, the atonement is a powerful demonstration of God's grace and love for humanity.
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