The Atonement E-Book

Jeremy Treat

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Short Studies in Systematic Theology
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A Concise Introduction to the Doctrine of the Atonement The atonement is central to Christian theology and essential for following Jesus. In this addition to the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series, pastor Jeremy Treat explains what Scripture teaches about the atonement and how it impacts one's daily life.  Treat demonstrates that the death of Christ is a multi-dimensional work within the story of the kingdom of God. While the accomplishments of the cross are unending (including forgiveness, victory, and renewal), the heart of the cross is substitution—Jesus dying on behalf of sinners. Christ's atoning work reconciles believers to God and to one another, calling them to a life of obedience. This book presents a kingdom-framed, substitution-centered, trinitarian, integrated, communal, and life-changing approach to the doctrine of atonement. - Accessible: Designed to be short and approachable, this text is an ideal resource for college students, pastors, and laypeople - Practical: The depths of the gospel are applied to discipleship, community, and ethics  - Part of the Short Studies in Systematic Theology Series: Other titles include Faithful Theology; The Attributes of God; and The Church

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“Jeremy Treat wants us to reflect deeply on the beauty of the cross. He wants us to see that the good news is much bigger than we thought, that reconciliation is further flung than we dared imagine, that the Savior to whom we are united is no less than the victorious King of all things. I can’t imagine a more trustworthy guide to show us this view. With the skill of a scholar and the prose of a pastor, he takes us to the mountaintop and invites us to gaze on our great assurance.”

Jen Wilkin, author; Bible teacher

“Jeremy Treat has written a brilliant yet accessible introduction to the doctrine of the atonement. He shows what Jesus’s cross is about, how the cross saves, why it matters, and how it relates to the Christian life. This is a learned yet eminently readable book on a complex topic. A great starting place for anyone who wants to wrestle with the meaning of the cross and how it relates to theology as a whole.”

Michael F. Bird, Academic Dean and Lecturer in New Testament, Ridley College, Melbourne

“Jeremy Treat reminds us of what every thoughtful Christian should know about the atonement while calling us to understand the cross, to worship, and to pick up our cross and follow the Master.”

D. A. Carson, Cofounder and Theologian-at-Large, The Gospel Coalition

“Jeremy Treat is a model pastor-theologian. He lives and ministers in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the most dynamic, complex, and influential cities in the world. But his context hasn’t tempted him to shrink away from offering the church robust teaching and theological substance. In The Atonement, we see Treat’s pastoral heart and scholarly mind on full display. He invites us to revel in the glory of Christ crucified, explore the cross in all its profundity and life-changing potency, and return to it again and again as fuel for worship and whole-life discipleship. This is a thoughtful and accessible reflection on the heart of the gospel, indeed the heart of God. Highly recommended!”

Todd Wilson, Cofounder and President, The Center for Pastor Theologians

“This is a master class in short, clear, and accessible systematic theology. Jeremy Treat shows us why we need to see the atonement from numerous angles to fully grasp its beauty—and then he shows us how, with a clear exposition that maintains both coherence and practical application. A superb introduction.”

Andrew Wilson, Teaching Pastor, King’s Church London

“Jeremy Treat represents the best of a new generation of pastor-theologians: deep but easily accessible, faithful but not shrill, cross-centered but not neglectful of the kingdom. Here is an atonement doctrine for the church—and for the world.”

Joshua M. McNall, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, Oklahoma Wesleyan University; author, The Mosaic of Atonement and How Jesus Saves

“Evangelicals are a people of the cross—but do we understand the fullness of what this means? Jeremy Treat invites us into a rich, complex, and unified account of Jesus’s atoning work—one that we can spend a lifetime meditating on and that can guide not only our study of Scripture and theology but also of the life of the church.”

Adam J. Johnson, Associate Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors College, Biola University

The Atonement

Short Studies in Systematic Theology

Edited by Graham A. Cole and Oren R. Martin

The Atonement: An Introduction, Jeremy Treat (2023)

The Attributes of God: An Introduction, Gerald Bray (2021)

The Church: An Introduction, Gregg R. Allison (2021)

The Doctrine of Scripture: An Introduction, Mark D. Thompson (2022)

Faithful Theology: An Introduction, Graham A. Cole (2020)

Glorification: An Introduction, Graham A. Cole (2022)

Justification: An Introduction, Thomas R. Schreiner (2023)

The Person of Christ: An Introduction, Stephen J. Wellum (2021)

The Trinity: An Introduction, Scott R. Swain (2020)

The Atonement

An Introduction

Jeremy Treat

The Atonement: An Introduction

Copyright © 2023 by Jeremy Treat

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2023

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

The illustration on page 5 was vector traced from Ancient Rome in the Light of Recent Discoveries by Rodolfo Lanciani (1898), Wikimedia Commons.

The illustration on page 11 is adapted from Seek First: How the Kingdom of God Changes Everything by Jeremy Treat. Copyright © 2019 by Jeremy Treat. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-7569-3 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7572-3 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7569-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Treat, Jeremy R., 1980- author. 

Title: The Atonement : an introduction / Jeremy Treat. 

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, [2023] | Series: Short studies in systematic theology | Includes bibliographical references and index. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2022044542 (print) | LCCN 2022044543 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433575693 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433575693 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433575723 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Atonement. 

Classification: LCC BT265.3 .T74 2023 (print) | LCC BT265.3 (ebook) | DDC 232/.3—dc23/eng/20230412

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022044542

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022044543

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2023-07-26 04:17:36 PM

To my mother, Joyce Treat

Contents

Series Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction The Foolishness of the Gospel

1  The Story of Atonement From a Garden to a Kingdom

2  The Heart of Atonement The Great Exchange

3  The Achievements of Atonement A Multidimensional Work

4  The Coherence of Atonement An Integrated Accomplishment

5  The Community of Atonement Reconciled and Reconciling

6  The Life of Atonement Taking Up Your Cross

Conclusion

Further Reading

General Index

Scripture Index

Series Preface

The ancient Greek thinker Heraclitus reputedly said that the thinker has to listen to the essence of things. A series of theological studies dealing with the traditional topics that make up systematic theology needs to do just that. Accordingly, in each of these studies, a theologian addresses the essence of a doctrine. This series thus aims to present short studies in theology that are attuned to both the Christian tradition and contemporary theology in order to equip the church to faithfully understand, love, teach, and apply what God has revealed in Scripture about a variety of topics. What may be lost in comprehensiveness can be gained through what John Calvin, in the dedicatory epistle of his commentary on Romans, called “lucid brevity.”

Of course, a thorough study of any doctrine will be longer rather than shorter, as there are two millennia of confession, discussion, and debate with which to interact. As a result, a short study needs to be more selective but deftly so. Thankfully, the contributors to this series have the ability to be brief yet accurate. The key aim is that the simpler is not to morph into the simplistic. The test is whether the topic of a short study, when further studied in depth, requires some unlearning to take place. The simple can be amplified. The simplistic needs to be corrected. As editors, we believe that the volumes in this series pass that test.

While the specific focus varies, each volume (1) introduces the doctrine, (2) sets it in context, (3) develops it from Scripture, (4) draws the various threads together, and (5) brings it to bear on the Christian life. It is our prayer, then, that this series will assist the church to delight in her triune God by thinking his thoughts—which he has graciously revealed in his written word, which testifies to his living Word, Jesus Christ—after him in the powerful working of his Spirit.

Graham A. Cole and Oren R. Martin

Acknowledgments

My life has been deeply impacted by the people who have taught me about the cross and even more by those who have lived the way of the cross. I am especially grateful for my family. My wife Tiffany is my best friend and my greatest support. Nothing I do in ministry lacks her influence. My daughters—Ashlyn, Lauryn, Evelyn, and Katelyn—are the greatest joy in my life. I hope they read this book someday. But even more, I hope they think I am a better dad than author.

I’m also filled with gratitude for my church family, Reality LA. This book has been shaped not only by study and research but also by preaching the cross and shepherding people at the foot of the cross. I’m honored to be a part of such a faithful church, let alone to be one of its pastors.

Several people contributed directly to this book. Many thanks to Uche Anizor, Hank Voss, Fred Sanders, Matt Jensen, Adam Johnson, Derek Rishmawy, and Bijan Mirtolooi, who read early drafts and gave helpful feedback. Graham Cole and Oren Martin have been wonderful general editors, and Chris Cowan’s editorial insight enhanced the manuscript significantly.

I dedicate this book to my mother, Joyce Treat. My mom is the embodiment of grace and grit. Not only has she taught me about the love of God, but she has also modeled a cross-shaped life of humility, sacrifice, and love. I would not be who I am apart from God’s cruciform grace at work in and through my mother.

Ultimately, I give all glory to God. For me, the cross is not merely a topic to be studied; it is good news that has renewed my life. My prayer is that this book helps the church understand the depths of the gospel so that we might truly live for the glory of God.

Introduction

The Foolishness of the Gospel

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18

The Lord’s plan for dealing with sin is shocking in its unexpectedness. It will not involve force or some military champion imposing righteousness on the people. Rather, the Lord’s solution to sin is for his servant to take human sin on himself and to offer himself as a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of others.1

Paulson Pulikottil

The good news of Christ crucified was being proclaimed in the heart of Los Angeles, but I was hearing it from a different perspective than ever before. I had the week off from preaching, so I sat with our congregation, listening to one of my fellow pastors preach 1 Corinthians 2 on the cross of Christ: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). I had heard the words before, but as I listened on this day my eyes were fixed not on the preacher, nor on the young creatives surrounding me, but on the scar-laden head of the man sitting directly in front of me.

Like railroad tracks traversing the desolate land of his scalp, each scar told a story of pain and loss. And since this man was a part of our church, I knew the stories all too well. The first scar was from surgery at age six shortly after his childhood innocence was shattered by the words “brain cancer.” The next scar came at age thirty-four when the cancer returned, and another scar was added just a few months later when an additional surgery was necessary. The most recent scar came from removing two glioblastoma tumors from the brain. After a week of chemotherapy, he had saved up all his energy to come to church. And while I trust that he was comforted by the sermon on the cross, he himself was a living illustration to our church of its meaning: God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). From one perspective, people merely saw the scars, the frailty, the weakness. But from another perspective, this man’s greatest problem in life had already been solved, his future hope was completely secure, and he was presently being transformed from one degree of glory to the next in a way that would make the angels blush. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).

As I looked around the congregation, I realized that we are not all that different from our friend with cancer. We are all wounded; our scars are just not as visible. We are all dying; we simply have not been told how much time we have. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and experienced the pain from our own sin and the sins of others. Yet, in Christ crucified, there is the hope of complete and utter renewal. In the crucified Nazarene is the power for healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation—not only for one man, and not only for our church in Los Angeles, but also for the whole world.

As followers of Jesus, we cling to the truth that God is making all things new by grace. But he is not doing it from afar. The Father has sent the Son in the power of the Spirit with a mission to ransom sinners and renew creation. Yet he is doing so in the most breathtaking way.

The Folly of the Cross

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the most significant event in the history of the world. By dying in our place, the Son of God accomplished all that is necessary for the reconciliation of sinners and the renewal of creation. But how could the death of a fairly unknown Jewish carpenter alter the course of history? Why would the crucifixion of this man—when Rome crucified tens of thousands—bring healing and hope to the lives of others? How could a gruesome execution by the state be considered good news? To ponder these questions is to stumble into the doctrine of atonement.

People today do not gasp at the idea of a crucifixion. We should. Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment invented to slowly torture and publicly shame criminals. As opposed to beheading, which was a quick death, crucifixion intentionally kept the victims alive long enough to plunge them into the depths of human suffering. Beyond the pain of the nails through the main arteries near the hands and feet, those hanging on the cross would spend hours or even days pulling themselves up in order to breathe, scraping their already-scourged skin on the wood of a rugged cross. So agonizing was this form of punishment that a word was later invented based on its severity: excruciating, which literally means “from the cross.”2

When the Bible talks about crucifixion, however, it emphasizes not physical pain but rather social shame. Reserved for the scum of society (rebels, slaves, and outcasts), crucifixion was a public spectacle meant to humiliate and dehumanize the victim. Crucifixion usually happened along busy Roman roads, with those crucified placed in the most vulnerable position—naked, arms stretched out, and alone—in order to be taunted and mocked as they struggled for breath. Those being crucified were stripped not only of their clothes but also of their dignity. A century before Jesus, for example, a slave revolt in Rome led to six thousand people being crucified along a 130-mile stretch of a road leaving Rome.3 The near-lifeless bodies, along with those already being eaten by vultures and vermin, served as a billboard to the world declaring the power of Rome.4

Since the cross was a monstrous symbol of death and defeat in the first century, it is no wonder that early Christians were mocked for worshiping a crucified Savior. The cross of Christ was “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23). The Jews were looking for a conquering Messiah who would overthrow Rome and establish a political rule. The notion of a suffering Messiah would have been scandalous to their ears. They wanted someone who would triumph over their enemies, not be executed by them. The Gentiles (particularly the Greeks) sought salvation through philosophy and wisdom. The thought of a king being crucified was foolishness to them, something only a madman would believe. The picture of the good life was a contemplative philosopher, not a dying criminal.

The mainstream view after the crucifixion was that Jesus was a failure, his followers were fools, and the cross was a defeat. That is certainly what an early graffiti drawing reveals about the way Romans thought about Christians. The drawing depicts a worshiper looking up at Christ dying on the cross. However, in place of Christ’s head is the head of a donkey. Below the drawing reads the Greek inscription, “Alexamenos worships his God” (see figure 1). This second-century graffiti represents the foolishness of a gospel proclaiming a crucified Messiah.5

Figure 1  Tracing of the Alexamenos graffito.

While early Christians were mocked for their belief in the cross, Christians today have often domesticated the cross to make it more palatable for a modern society. Whether placed on a calendar in a Christian bookstore, tattooed on an arm, or elevated above a city skyline, we have tamed the cross and turned it into a decorative pleasantry. But only when we see the horror of the cross will we be ready to understand the glory of the cross.

The Glory of Christ Crucified

When Jesus was crucified, it appeared that his mission had been brought to a devastating halt. From an earthly perspective, the cross was weakness and foolishness. But through the lens of faith, the glory of God shines from the cross like a thousand suns compared to the candle of this world’s glory. The love of God through the cross of Christ subverts the wisdom and power of this world, revealing a kingdom that is different than people would expect but greater than they could imagine. The cross is not weakness but rather power controlled by love. The death of Jesus is not foolishness but rather God’s wise way of saving the unjust while upholding his justice. This is the awful beauty of the cross.

Herein lies the paradox of the gospel. The self-giving love of God transformed an instrument of death into an instrument of life. The cross is the great reversal, where exaltation comes through humiliation, glory is revealed in shame, victory is accomplished through surrender, and the triumph of the kingdom comes through the suffering of the servant. As Lesslie Newbigin says, “The reign of God has indeed come upon us, and its sign is not a golden throne but a wooden cross.”6 The cross is good news because it is God’s way of rescuing sinners and restoring the world.

Faith Seeking Understanding: The Doctrine of Atonement

The doctrine of atonement is the church’s attempt to understand the glory of Christ crucified in a way that cultivates worship and catalyzes discipleship. This is what theology is about: faith seeking understanding in service of faithful living. What does it mean that Jesus died “for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3)? How did his death two millennia ago shape the trajectory of eternity? How does the crucifixion of Christ reveal the wisdom and power of God? The doctrine of atonement seeks to answer these questions not only for our heads but also for our hearts and lives.

Unfortunately, many churches today have exchanged biblical doctrine for pop psychology and costly discipleship for do-it-yourself spirituality. We need a recovery of “sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel” (1 Tim. 1:10–11) that we might be “transformed by the renewal of [our] minds” (Rom. 12:2). And where better to start than the doctrine of atonement, which is the “heart of the gospel”7 and “the Holy of Holies of Christian theology”?8

Theology is first and foremost about helping the church pray, worship, and live faithfully to the glory of God. Only in a secondary (and derivative) way does theology confront heresies and contemporary challenges. The primary goal of the doctrine of the atonement is for the church to understand more of the depths of the gospel in order to worship the triune God and live according to his gospel. The goal of this book, therefore, is not intellectual mastery but whole-life discipleship, bringing us to the foot of the cross in worship.

Traditionally, the doctrine of atonement addresses how God has reconciled sinners to himself through Christ’s death on the cross. Christ deals with sin in a way that takes what is torn asunder and makes it one again. In other words, his death brings about “at-one-ment” between God and sinners. I uphold this approach but expand it in two ways.

First, the scope of Christ’s atoning work must be broadened beyond humanity to the whole creation. As Colossians 1:19–20 says, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Christ’s work on the cross brings about “at-one-ment” with God and sinners within a broader story of the “at-one-ment” of heaven and earth.

Second, the cross is central but must not be solo in the doctrine of atonement. The centrality of the cross is evident from the preeminence of the passion narratives in the Gospels and its prominence throughout the rest of Scripture, casting a shadow backwards over the entire Old Testament and giving vision forward for the church in the New Testament. From the bruised heel of Genesis 3:15 to the slain Lamb of Revelation 5:6, the Bible is the story of a crucified Messiah bringing God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven. The apostle Paul summarizes his entire message with the words “Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23). For these reasons, Athanasius is right to say that the cross “is the very center of our faith.”9 The cross is the climax of the Christian story and the center of Christian theology.

To call the cross central does not mean that it is the only moment of the atonement but rather the most definitive. When Paul summarized the Christian message as “Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23), he was not dismissing the importance of the incarnation or resurrection (as is evident from the rest of 1 Corinthians). The cross is the center that represents the whole of the Christian faith.10

Figure 2 The cross is central but must be understood within the comprehensive work of Christ.

The various aspects of Christ’s ministry ought not compete but rather complement one another in Christ’s kingdom mission. Fleming Rutledge playfully compares the death and resurrection of Jesus to a ham and cheese sandwich: “If you’re making a ham and cheese sandwich, you don’t ask which is more important, the ham or the cheese. If you don’t have both of them it isn’t a ham and cheese sandwich. Moving from the ridiculous to the sublime, you can’t have the crucifixion without the resurrection—and vice versa.”11 The same is true for the whole of Christ’s work. If you lose the incarnation, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, or return of Christ, then you lose the gospel.

The focus should be on understanding the particular role of each aspect of Christ’s work and discovering how these aspects fit together as a whole. The incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Christ form a single entity, ultimately finding coherence in the Son himself who is sent by the Father and anointed by the Spirit.

To summarize: The doctrine of atonement is the church’s faith seeking understanding of the way in which Christ, through all of his work but primarily his death, has dealt with sin and its effects to reconcile sinners and renew creation.

The Approach of This Book

We must avoid two pitfalls that plague atonement theology today. On the one hand, there is the error of one-dimensional reductionism, which focuses on one aspect or theory of the atonement to the exclusion of all others—as if Christ either bore our punishment or conquered evil or demonstrated his love as an example. But to reduce Christ’s atoning work to one aspect is to truncate the gospel and diminish God’s glory in salvation.

On the other hand, the common reaction to one-dimensional reductionism that we must also avoid is disconnected plurality. This approach celebrates the many dimensions of Christ’s atoning work but lacks integration and balance, resulting in a smorgasbord approach based on preference or context. Although contextualization is essential with the atonement, the dimensions of Christ’s work are not alternative options but rather overlapping aspects of a comprehensive work.

Figure 3 Atonement theology must avoid the opposite errors of one-dimensional reductionism and disconnected plurality.

Here is my approach to the atonement in a nutshell: The death of Christ is a multidimensional accomplishment within the story that begins in the garden and culminates in the kingdom. While the achievements of the cross (forgiveness, victory, adoption, and so on) are unending, the heart of the cross, out of which everything flows and finds its coherence, is Christ dying in our place for our sins. The atoning work of Christ not only reconciles sinners to God but also to one another, calling us into a life of taking up our crosses as we follow our King. In other words, we need a kingdom-framed, substitution-centered, multidimensional, integrated, communal, life-changing approach to the doctrine of atonement.12

Figure 4 The atonement is a multidimensional accomplishment.

Triune Atonement

From beginning to end, Christ’s atoning work is thoroughly Trinitarian. While the doctrine of atonement focuses on Jesus, one must remember that Jesus is the Son of the Father who is empowered by the Spirit to accomplish the triune mission of redemption. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) and “the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). Therefore, we must affirm the principle of inseparable operations—that is, that the external works of the Trinity are undivided (opera trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa). As Gregory of Nyssa says, “Every operation which extends from God to creation . . . has its origin from the Father, and proceeds through the Son, and is perfected in the Holy Spirit.”13

Many theories of atonement have gone awry because they are insufficiently Trinitarian, often pitting the Father against the Son and leaving out the Holy Spirit altogether.14 Yet Scripture is clear: God’s kingdom mission, with atonement at the heart of it, is a unified work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 7:39; 2 Cor. 5:19; Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:19–20; Heb. 9:14). The doctrine of atonement unravels without the doctrine of the Trinity. As Hans Urs von Balthasar says, “The events of the cross can only be interpreted against the background of the Trinity.”15

A Multigenerational, Multicultural Approach

To learn about the doctrine of atonement is to join a conversation among the saints who have been led by the Holy Spirit in understanding the depths of the cross from generation to generation. While I have been shaped by many different traditions, the greatest influences on my understanding of the atonement are the North African church father Athanasius, the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck, and the English pastor theologian John Stott.16 My hope is that this book reflects their collective influence. Furthermore, since the atonement is a global accomplishment, it will be best understood from a global perspective. For this reason, I have sought to interact with majority world scholars throughout my research and writing and have benefited greatly from these brothers and sisters throughout the world.17

The Secular Longing for Atonement

Our sin-ridden world is longing for atonement. Do not let secularism make you think that we have evolved beyond such a need. As Charles Taylor argues, secularism is not the absence of religious belief but rather a whole new set of beliefs, redirecting our deepest longings onto something other than God.18 While we have attempted to suppress our longing for atonement, it keeps pushing through, even if in different, less traditional ways. For example, the innate longing for atonement can be seen in popular article titles, such as “Anger and Atonement during a Pandemic” and “Spain’s Attempt to Atone for a 500-Year-Old Sin.”19The New York Times revealed their “Word of the Day” for May 16, 2011, as “atone,” and the newspaper noted that forty-three of its articles over the previous year had talked about atonement.20 As another example, consider the advice of a New Age guru: “The only way to atone for the past is to do something meaningful in the present.”21

Our society is aching for atonement. How can we deal with our guilt and shame? How can we be set free from our past? How can all that is wrong be made right? The assumption in these questions is that we can atone for our sins. But the message of Christianity is not about what we ought to do for God but what God has done for us. The good news is that God has sent his Son, empowered by the Spirit, to atone for our sins and make right all that our sin has made wrong. And the gospel goes far beyond merely “making amends” (which is how the word “atonement” is often used today). Through the sacrificial death of Christ, forgiveness, freedom, healing, and restoration are available not only for broken people but for all of creation. This is good news.

1. Paulson Pulikottil, “Isaiah,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 906.

2. Cicero claimed that crucifixion was the “most cruel and disgusting penalty.” M. Tullius Cicero, The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, trans. C. D. Yonge (London: George Bell and Sons, 1903), 2.5.165. Josephus referred to it as “a most miserable death.” Flavius Josephus, The Jewish War, in The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian, trans. William Whiston (London: W. Boyer, 1737), 7.6.4. For the Jewish people, crucifixion represented the curse of God: “A hanged man is cursed by God” (Deut. 21:23). For background on crucifixion, see Martin Hengel, Crucifixion in the Ancient World and the Folly of the Message of the Cross (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977); Tom Holland, Dominion (New York City: Basic Books, 2019), 1–17.

3. Hengel, Crucifixion in the Ancient World, 55.

4. Perhaps the closest modern parallel to crucifixion is lynching. James Cone observes that Christ’s enemies killed him “by hanging him on a tree” (Acts 10:39), and he discusses the similarities between lynching and crucifixion: “Both the cross and the lynching tree were symbols of terror, instruments of torture and execution, reserved primarily for slaves, criminals, and insurrectionists—the lowest of the low in society.” James Cone,