1. Theories of Atonement
Many ancient religions practiced sacrifice to their gods – including human sacrifice.
What did they think they were achieving?
What was it doing for their relationship to God?
Atonement = at-one-ment (Tyndale, C15th) Modern bibles translate it as “reconciliation”.
So “Christ atoned for our sins” = Christ reconciled us back to God.
To evaluate 3 theories of the atonement
To identify whether they are mutually compatible or not
To evaluate whether they suggest that God is cruel

2. Atonement in the OT: by sacrifice
SACRIFICE is effective in 2 ways:
As Propitiation –pleasing offering that turns away God’s wrath. Satisfies justice.
As Expiation – clears guilt. (punishment of a prison sentence, if served, clears a criminal’s guilt.)
Which of the OT sacrifices were
Propitiatory ?
Expiatory?
Abraham & Isaac – obedient to God, Abraham took Isaac, tied him up, and was willing to sacrifice him to God. He was prevented from doing so, but God was pleased with his willing obedience, and promised that he, and all people, would be blessed in his name.
Passover Lamb – lamb’s blood on doors protected Jewish firstborn from 10th plague, deflecting God’s anger from them.
Book of Leviticus:
Day of Atonement, yearly ritual for removing sin from the whole people: 2 goats were offered for the sins of the people:
1st Goat expelled: High Priest laid his hands on goat’s head, which was then driven out into the wilderness, thus symbolically representing the removal of the people’s sin – literally, scapegoat, & represents Satan.
2nd Goat slaughtered: its blood was taken and sprinkled on the altar of the Holy of Holies. As the life-principle, blood was believed to be able to cleanse from defilement and restore to purity.
Other offerings: flour, bread, oil, wine, “tithes” - prescribed to be offered as thanksgiving offerings to God, to win God’s favour and forgiveness, or as sin offerings, for particular, personal sins

3. Which is propitiation? Which is expiation?

4. The NT: Jesus Hebrews Critique of OT sacrifices:
But how did Jesus’ death actually clear sin?
Propitiation?
Expiation?
Other?
In fact, the Church has no single doctrine of the Atonement. It accepts a variety of models/ images to try and explain it.
Hebrews Critique of OT sacrifices:
Inadequate: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins”. Heb 10:4
Temporary: “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” Heb 10:11
Jesus: the one, single, unique, eternally effective offering/ sacrifice:
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy…and where sins have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.”

5. Match the quotes to the models. Which models are:
Propitiation models
Expiation models
neither
Paying with his own life, to free us from captivity = Ransom model
Offer himself as a pleasing offering to God, on our behalf, allaying God’s wrath against humanity for their sin = Satisfaction/ substitution model
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Mk10:45
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Mt 26:28
if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; …no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Mk3:26
“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.Mt 16:24
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. Jn 3:16
In his death, Jesus is an example for us of how be a disciple of Jesus and live truly alive, in God – moral example model
Defeat the powers of evil that keep us in captivity – Christus Victor model
Jesus’ sacrifice for us shows the depth of God’s love for us, inspiring us to love others im a similar way – moral example model

6. Models of the Atonement
Research the Penal Substitution model of Atonement for tomorrow’s lesson.
Description
What it does explain well
Problems with it.
A. RANSOM model
C2nd Origen –– Expiation of sin, sacrifice   
 B. SATISFACTION model
C11th St. Anselm –Honour to God
C. PENAL SUBSTITUTION model
C16th Protestant Reformers – legal justice
D. CHRISTUS VICTOR model
C19th Gustav Aulen – victory over evil powers
E. MORAL EXAMPLE model
C4th Augustine, C12th Abelard, C20th Modern Liberal Theologians
Depth of God’s love, role model

7. Models of the Atonement
Read about 5 models . On your table:
Briefly describe each theory (you will get detailed notes later)
Make notes on strengths/ weaknesses of these models
**Which do you prefer and why?
RANSOM model
C2nd Origen –– Expiation of sin, sacrifice   
 SATISFACTION model
C11th St. Anselm –Honour to God
PENAL SUBSTITUTION model
C16th Protestant Reformers – legal justice
CHRISTUS VICTOR model
C19th Gustav Aulen – victory over evil powers
MORAL EXAMPLE model
C4th Augustine, C12th Abelard, C20th Modern Liberal Theologians
Depth of God’s love, role model

8. What is happening here? Does it reflect any of the models?
What actually effects the woman’s release?

9. Are the models mutually exclusive?
Is God a cruel Tyrant?
Are the models mutually exclusive?
Going through your notes on the different models, find evidence on which models:
Show/ don’t show God as a cruel tyrant
Can work together/ can’t be used together

11. How does Aslan explain his victory?
Edmund is captured by the wicked queen of Narnia, and he maliciously betrays his brother and two sisters. He had been rescued however and was under Aslan’s care (Aslan is the lion-ruler of Narnia).
The wicked witch confronts Aslan and tells him that according to the deep magic of the universe, every traitor becomes her lawful prey and that gives her the right to a kill . “That human creature, she says, “ is mine. His blood is my property”.
Aslan deeply loves Edmund and wants to protect him, but he cannot dispute the witches legal claim, because of the law of the deep magic .
Instead, Aslan offers up his own life to the wicked Queen, in place of Edmund. The lion is obviously a much greater prize for the queen, since by killing the lion she thinks she will rule over Narnia without opposition.
Aslan overturned the condemning justice of the law which the witch held against by the power of self sacrificial love – the “deeper” magic of the law.
Who does the demand for a kill come from? For Lewis, it is the devil who demands satisfaction. God does not need to satisfy rage against sin by violence. It is only the devil who demands that the “wrath of the law” must be vented.
“ The cross of Jesus takes away from ‘our accusers’ the only thing they ever had on us - the deep magic of the written law.”
How does Aslan explain his victory?