"Stand in the place where you live, now face north. Think about direction, wonder why you haven't before." -R.E.M.

What Did Christ's Death Accomplish? Conclusion

05/14/2008 12:34 PM Filed in: Theology

Back in May of 2007 I started a series on what is called the Christus Victor view of the atonement. I got through 5 parts out of 6 (which, let's face it, is better than I normally do), but never finished the series up. Thankfully I didn't actually have much to write in regards to concluding remarks, so I've decided to go ahead and get this finished up today.

In my view, the incarnation simply cannot be divorced from the atonement in any way, whether in truth or in theory. The incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Christ must be taken together as the holistic way in which God defeated sin, death and the devil and freed us from the shackles we had willingly placed on ourselves. Christus Victor, as I have presented it here, is the only model of atonement that takes such a balanced and holistic approach to the relationship of the atonement and the incarnation. And, when taken seriously, it goes the farthest in detailing the Christ-like example that is best displayed when we, like him, choose to come against the demonic strongholds in this world with radical Kingdom of God love.

Far from a pure cerebral working-out of the work of Christ, Christus Victor invites us to join in the work that Jesus began on the cross. When we come against social injustice, evil, disease and poverty, we come against the very things that Christ battled. When we put our God-given love on display for the world to see, both receiving and reflecting the love that He has poured out on us, we are doing the very work of Jesus Christ.

In John 14 Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

"Greater things." Greater things than Christ did, we will do. How is that possible? Because through His death and resurrection He has defeated the powers and the principalities. Through His death He has made it possible for "the love you have for me [to] be in them and that I myself may be in them" (John 17). Through His death He has gathered a people for Himself that numbers in the millions. He is leading them to push forward and to come under other people in love and in self-sacrifice.

"Greater things." It's not Jesus' hope for the church: it's His prophecy. And though we often mess up and we don't always look like we're supposed to, like radical Kingdom of God citizens, God is using us to change His world and show others the path to Jesus Christ.

We are joining the work He started over 2,000 years ago in order that He may use us to accomplish "Greater things."

Full bibliography for the entire Six-Part series may be downloaded here in PDF format.

Tags: Christus Victor, Jesus, Satan, Sin, Death