A Cosmic Atonement?
Atonement is a very strange concept that the Chrsitian community is divided over and often times bitterly so. The simplistic definition is that at-one-moment there was a reconciliation to God. But who was included in that atoning process? Was all of mankind, cration in general, or just your denomination- just Christians? Muslims want to know. Jews, Hindus, and others are interested.
I say it was a cosmic atonement! :-)
Many Christian denominations have historically taught that Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge in violation of God's command. This created a massive gulf between humanity and God that could only be bridged by the torture death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Unfortunately, the Bible text does not provide a clear and unambiguous explanation on exactly by what mechanism the life and death of Jesus was able to make it possible to reconcile God and humanity through that atonement. Christian theologians from the second century have developed five main theories, and many sub-variations, to explain how the atonement works. In recent centuries, no one theory has received a consensus.
Over the centuries and especially since man's consciousness, intelligence, and archaelogical findings have increased, WORDS to describe the WORD atonement has changed.
The words "reconciliation" and "atonement" are used by various English Bible translations in Romans 5:11. Another synonym for atonement is "satisfaction." This was the preferred term used by many Protestant theologians during the Reformation. Paul used many terms to refer to the process of "getting right with God" including expiation, justification, reconciliation, redemption, and salvation. These terms were derived metaphorically from different cultural contexts and thus carry different connotations and shades of meaning. But they all refer to a process by which humans, which Paul viewed as hopelessly sinful and lost, can make contact with a just and loving God and be accepted by him.
But to my main question. Atonement for whom?
The Gospel of John is what I call the Cosmic Gospel, and in the first chapter, verse 29, we read, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Sins of the WORLD!. Of course U agree with a "Cosmic Christ" because I see God as LOVE with LOVE being the trump card whereas others see God as a Judge and therefore they embrace a term that Anselm created (St. Anselm's famous work Cur Deus Homo - 1098) called "penal substitution".
Of course, those who don't meet the requirements (varies with culture and denomination) are eternally roasted. No cosmic love here! Justice always trumps love. Not with me it doesn't. :-)
Related Tags: salvation, redemption, reconciliation, sanctification, justification, reformation, penal substitution, expiation, a cosmic atonement, cur deus homo, staisfaction, st anselm
As a spiritual-futurist my commentaries and articles deal primarily with an interpretation of current events in light of macro-universal forces at play.
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