Category Archives: Uncategorized

We’ve taken this detour through the “powers” to better understand why the early church fathers would imagine that the atonement is all about God’s defeat of the powers, authorities, princes, etc. — especially Satan. That seems foreign to modern ears, but … Continue reading →

We’re continuing to consider materials from the book God’s Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions? Insights from the Bible and the Early Church, by Gerald R. McDermott. We’re not presently concerned with his principal argument, that is, the significance of … Continue reading →

As mentioned in the last post, the scriptural notion of “powers” and “authorities” is routinely ignored in our Bible studies. And yet the Christus Victor theory of atonement is based on God’s victory over the powers in Jesus by means of … Continue reading →

Christus Victor Christus Victor is a phrase I imagine very few of my readers are familiar with. In fact, I’ve had to do a little study on it myself … because we in the Churches of Christ don’t spend much … Continue reading →

I posted two extensive comments in reply to comments of Price and Guy in my most recent post. I’m reposting edited versions of my comments here. I follow with a couple of reflections. One of my problems with Reformation era … Continue reading →

Ransom The explanation for how the atonement works found in Matthew and Mark is found in — (Mat 20:26-28 ESV)  26 “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  27 … Continue reading →

Abraham’s covenant with God This makes better sense if we try to think like First Century Jews — and so look for understanding in the Torah — not so much the Law of Moses as God’s covenant with Abraham. (Rom … Continue reading →

The Suffering Servant But then again, we’ve hardly answered the original question, which is just how is it that the cross results in our forgiveness. And before we go on to other theories, we have to consider — (Isa 53:4-8 … Continue reading →

I guess I need to pause for a moment to clarify a couple of things. * First, I do not for a minute deny that God’s wrath is real and important. Indeed, Paul’s theological discourse in Romans begins with — … Continue reading →

We in the Churches of Christ don’t spend much time talking about atonement theory. Rather, our focus has been how the individual appropriates atonement for his own benefit. We focus on the question: “What must I do to be saved?” … Continue reading →