Source: “Paul On The Cross: Reconstructing The Apostle’s Story Of Redemption”, By David A. Brondos, Fortress Press, 2006.
Stories Of Redemption In The Christian Tradition.wav
This podcast delves into the complex and often debated question of how the New Testament, particularly the writings of Paul, understands the relationship between Christ's death on the cross and human salvation. The author argues that many traditional "theories of the atonement," such as satisfaction, penal substitution, and even participatory views, often misread Paul's original intent, projecting later theological concepts onto his work. Instead, the text posits that for Paul, Jesus' death was not salvific in itself through specific "effects" or a "cause-and-effect mechanism," but rather as a crucial part of a larger narrative of redemption. This narrative, rooted in the foundational story of the Hebrew Scriptures, centers on God's response to Jesus' faithfulness unto death by raising him, thereby fulfilling divine promises of salvation and establishing a new covenant community. The author aims to demonstrate that Paul's understanding of the cross is simpler and more aligned with the story found in the Gospels and Acts, challenging centuries of interpretation that have attributed foreign assumptions to his thought.
Topic 1 A significant and long-standing challenge for Christian theologians and biblical scholars has been to precisely define the relationship between Christ's death on the cross and human salvation. This complex issue has led to numerous attempts throughout history to articulate this relationship, resulting in a vast array of "theories of the atonement." However, many of these explanations have been criticized for extending far beyond what is explicitly stated in the New Testament, suggesting that they might not be deeply rooted in the original thoughts of its writers. Despite this, certain concepts associated with these theories have become widely accepted by both theologians and biblical scholars, who argue that they faithfully reflect New Testament teaching.
Topic 2 A core argument presented in the sources is that the traditional interpretations of Paul's understanding of Jesus' death have led to a fundamental misreading of his thought. The author posits that Paul's perspective on the role of Jesus' death in human salvation is markedly different from what has generally been attributed to him by interpreters since at least the late second century. For instance, the sources claim that Paul did not teach that Jesus' death inherently saved or reconciled anyone to God, nor did it have "redemptive effects" on its own. Specific concepts like satisfaction, substitution, representation, undergoing divine judgment, suffering the penalty of sin, exhausting God's wrath, healing fallen humanity, expiating sins, propitiating God, or liberating humanity from sin, death, the devil, or evil powers are explicitly stated to be foreign to Paul's letters. He also did not consider Jesus as a corporate or representative figure in the sense that what was true of Jesus was automatically true of others. Furthermore, Paul did not believe Jesus' death was the basis for justification or forgiveness, nor a cosmic event ushering in a new age. The sources emphasize that believers are not saved by simply trusting in the efficacy of Christ's death itself.
Topic 3 One of the oldest and most influential interpretations of Christ's work, identified as the "Christus Victor" or "classical" idea of atonement, is thoroughly discussed. This view posits that Christ engaged in a battle against and ultimately triumphed over the oppressive evil powers of the world, which had held humanity in bondage and suffering. Through this victory, God reconciled the world to Himself. Historically, this idea has been traced back to early church fathers like Irenaeus, Athanasius, and Gregory of Nyssa, and some proponents even attribute it to Paul himself, noting his inclusion of sin, death, and the law among the "tyrants" that Christ defeated. This understanding emphasizes Christ's triumph over external forces that enslaved humanity.
Topic 4 Another significant theory of redemption, popular in the early centuries of the church, is the "physical" doctrine of redemption. The term "physical" in this context refers to human nature—encompassing body, soul, and spirit—rather than a contrast to "spiritual." This view suggests that human nature, in its fallen state, became corrupted by evil forces such as sin and death, which became inherent to it. Christ's salvific work, according to this doctrine, involves Him taking upon Himself this fallen human nature that all people share. By doing so, He heals and restores it to incorruptibility and immortality. Influential figures like Irenaeus, for example, articulated that the Son of God "became what we are, that he might bring us to be even what he is himself," implying a transformative union of human nature with the divine. This idea often appears alongside the Christus Victor view among church fathers and some later theologians.
Topic 5 The sources detail the "satisfaction" and "penal substitution" theories of atonement, which became widely accepted in the Western Christian tradition. The satisfaction theory, particularly associated with Anselm of Canterbury (11th century), argues that humanity, due to sin, incurred an infinite debt of honor and obedience to God, which they were incapable of repaying. God's justice demanded either satisfaction for this debt or punishment. Because no mere human could provide adequate satisfaction, God's Son became incarnate to offer the necessary honor and obedience through His passion and death, thereby releasing humans from their debt and averting divine punishment. Following Anselm, the distinction between satisfaction and punishment often blurred, leading to the penal substitution view. This perspective, prominently advocated by John Calvin, posits that since God's justice required human sin to be punished, Christ underwent that necessary punishment in humanity's place. He bore the deserved penalty and vengeance for sins, effectively transferring condemnation to Himself and taking humanity's guilt, thus delivering them from suffering those consequences themselves.
Topic 6 An alternative understanding of Christ's work, known as the "subjective," "exemplary," or "moral influence" doctrine of atonement, is also presented. This view gained popularity, particularly with Peter Abelard (12th century), who argued against Anselm's satisfaction theory. Abelard contended that the primary purpose of Christ's life and death was to foster greater righteousness in human beings by profoundly revealing God's love to them. By taking on human nature and demonstrating unwavering dedication, even unto death, Christ's actions were meant to "enkindle" human hearts with divine grace and inspire true charity, prompting believers to willingly endure anything for Him. This perspective suggests that Christ's sacrifice serves as a moral example and a demonstration of divine love that transforms human character and behavior, rather than directly satisfying a debt or undergoing a punishment. This view has remained popular among many liberal theologians seeking alternatives to more objective theories of atonement.
Topic 7 In recent decades, a "participatory" view of redemption has gained considerable traction among New Testament scholars. This perspective, influenced by figures like Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann, argues that human beings are redeemed through their participation in Christ's death and resurrection. According to this view, Christ, by assuming humanity, effectively destroyed the "old man" (sinful humanity) and brought into existence a "new man" through His resurrection and exaltation. The idea is that what happened to Christ also happened to all humanity in Him. While some scholars, like Bultmann, initially interpreted certain passages in Paul as substitutionary, they later emphasized that these are primarily participationist. Others, following Barth, propose that Paul's doctrine of redemption combines both participation and substitution. This concept of believers dying and rising with Christ by virtue of their union with Him and the "Christ-event" is seen by many as central to Paul's soteriology, highlighting a shared experience and transformation with Christ.
Topic 8 The sources highlight a crucial distinction the author draws between Paul's actual teaching and the traditional interpretations of Christ's death. According to the author, Paul did not teach that Jesus' death itself effected human salvation or atonement through some inherent power or mechanism. Instead, Paul taught that by means of Christ's death, God saved and redeemed human beings and reconciled them to Himself. This is presented as a significant difference from saying that the death directly takes away sins, effects forgiveness, or makes atonement. For Paul, Jesus' death is certainly salvific and redemptive, but not inherently or through any "effects" it possesses. Rather, its salvific nature derives from its role as part of a larger divine narrative, where God responded to Jesus' faithfulness unto death by raising Him, thus fulfilling divine promises and establishing a new covenant-community. The author argues that interpreters have mistakenly sought in Paul's letters an answer to "how Jesus' death saves," reflecting a faulty assumption that Paul taught the death had direct salvific effects.
Topic 9 The source meticulously identifies several common assumptions that underlie virtually all traditional Christian stories of redemption. These assumptions, which the author contends are often incorrectly attributed to Paul by later interpreters, include: