Atonement

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Atonement

The Atonement, arguably the single greatest act of love, was initiated and accomplished by Jesus Christ as a means for members of the human family to reunite with God, as documented by the Bible and testified by other Christian scripture. It is the central doctrine of Christianity that enables the reconciliation of mankind with God. The Atonement advances the concept that the willing submission of Christ to die for the sins of mankind renders possible the resurrection (physical repair) of all mankind, and the forgiveness and spiritual healing of the human condition if one comes to Christ. Christians advocate the Atonement was and is the singularly unequivocal saving act that embodies the grace and mercy of God for the human family. This has survived as the central doctrine of Christianity.

The Atonement was necessary to compensate and reverse the fall of Adam, as noted in Christian scripture. In 1 Corinthians 15:22, Paul wrote: “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Christ therefore submitted voluntarily as the mediating representative for both humanity and God to answer the ends of the law previously transgressed by Adam. Paul taught that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; … this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:50–53).

Etymology

The word atonement gained widespread use in the sixteenth century after William Tyndale recognized that there was no direct translation of the concept into English. In order to explain the doctrine of Christ's sacrifice, which accomplished both the remission of sin and reconciliation of man to God, Tyndale invented a word that would encompass both actions. He wanted to overcome the inherent limitations of the word "reconciliation" while incorporating the aspects of "propitiation" and forgiveness. It is interesting to note that while Tyndale labored to translate the 1526 English Bible, his proposed word is comprised of two parts, 'at' and 'onement,' which also means reconciliation, but combines it with something more. Although one thinks of the Jewish Fast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the Hebrew word is ‘kaper’ ing ‘a covering’, so one can see that ‘reconciliation’ doesn't precisely contain all the necessary components of the word atonement. Expiation means “to atone for.” Reconciliation comes from Latin roots re, meaning “again”; con, meaning “with”; and sella, meaning “seat.” Reconciliation, therefore, literally means “to sit again with.” While this meaning may appear sufficient, Tyndale thought that if translated as "reconciliation," there would be a pervasive misunderstanding of the word's deeper significance to not just reconcile, but "to cover," so the word was invented.

Doctrine

The word attempts to explain why the sinless human being Jesus lived and died, and why God the Son, the second Person of the Godhead, condescended to live upon Earth as a human man, born as a human baby to the virgin Mary as Jesus, so that he could begin the atonement in Gethsemane and suffer and die on the cross.

Especially prominent in western Christianity is the concept of substitutionary atonement pioneered by Anselm of Canterbury and adapted by Pierre Abélard, Thomas Aquinas, Hugo Grotius, John Calvin, John Miley and others. (Eastern Orthodoxy has a substantively different soteriology; this is sometimes cited as the core difference between Eastern and Western Christianity.)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expands the doctrine of the atonement with different nuances of meaning than the substitutionary atonement concept, including the following teachings:

Suffering in Gethsemane. The Atonement began in Gethsemane and ended on the cross (Luke 22:44; Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19; Book of Mormon | Mosiah 3:7; Book of Mormon | Alma 7:11–13)
God's limited omnipotence. Christ's infinite atonement was required to satisfy the demands of eternal justice based on eternal laws that God complies with based on his perfection in knowing and obeying truth. The requirement for eternal justice was not an arbitrarily designed plan.
No need for infant baptism. Christ's atonement completely resolved the consequence from the fall of Adam of spiritual death for infants, young children and those of innocent mental capacity who die before an age of self-accountability, hence all these are resurrected to eternal life in the resurrection.
Empathetic purpose. Christ suffered pain and agony not only for the sins of all men, but also to experience their physical pains, illnesses, anguish from addictions, emotional turmoil and depression, "that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Book of Mormon | Alma 7:12) (See also Isaiah 53:4.)

A different concept of atonement exists in Judaism. The Holiest day of the year is the Day of Atonement known as Yom Kippur in Hebrew. It comes exactly ten days after the Jewish New Year known as Rosh Hashana.

Atonement theories in Christianity

Christus Victor

Recapitulation: Irenaeus, Eastern Orthodox Church, some Lutherans

Ransom: Origen, Gregory of Nyssa

Scapegoating: William Tyndale (who invented the word from Hebrew and Greek manuscripts), René Girard, James Alison, Gerhard Förde see 'In Christianity' in Scapegoat