How Exactly Does Christ's Passion Save Us From Our Sins?

[Guest crux celticus]

The doctrine of Christ's atonement is perhaps the most perplexing in Christianity, yet is perhaps the most essential to truly embracing the faith. No matter how many times I re-read Anslem or Aquinas, I really cannot seem to wrap my head around what they are trying to say. Perhaps its my modern materialistic mindset against their medieval analogy, but no matter how I read their "satisfaction" theory of atonement, it always strikes me that Christ sacrificed Himself to Himself in order to spare us from His own wrath. Not only is this scenario confusing, it is utterly meaningless. This theory only really has any meaning if we assume that God the Father and God the Son have two completely different wills, which of course cannot be true. As this would suggest that the Father hates us but the Son loves us, which could only make sense if the Son wasn't God.

Essentially Anselm's satisfaction theory states that Christ's passion was an expiatory sacrifice. That because Christ was sinless, his sacrifice had infinite merit and as such was the only sacrfice that could appease the Father's wrath against our sins. Christ having sacrificed Himself to the Father has paid the punishment due to our sins, that otherwise we would have had to pay ourselves, although there is no way we as sinners could ever provide a truly worthy sacrifice that could ever pay the debt of our disobedience to God. As a result of the Passion of Christ God the Father's honor has be restored, and mankind has been reconciled to God. We have been saved.

I just want to know if I am understanding this correctly, because no matter how many times I re-read this theory, it always seems that God the Father and God the Son have not only two separate wills, but two separate agendas. God the Father being like an angry offended king ready to dish out punishment, and Jesus Christ being the perfect servant, willing to take the heat for his misguided followers.

I am no theologian, but I have given this issue a great deal of thought, attempting to truly understand what it all means. What I am hoping is that someone with some expertise could at least tell me if my ideas are in sync with Catholic doctrine, or that I am way off the mark.

I think we have to go back to the Judaic sacrifices of the Old Testament. God commanded the Israelites to provide blood sacrifce for the expiation of sins, not because God wants to see cute little lambs get killed, but because He demands sincere repentence for sin. Killing a lamb doesnt in itself please God or forgive a sin, but rather the sincere repentence and regret of the offerer is the only true expiation. The sacrifice of the lamb is merely a potent physical reminder of how seriously sin offends God, that it demands payment, that it shed's blood, that the penalty for sin is DEATH. Sacrifice is like a fine. But payment of a fine alone is useless if you continue to break the law. With temporal powers a fine will get you off the hook until you are caught again. But you can never hide your offenses from the eye of God. Fines alone can never get you off the hook from God. You cannot buy God's love. You cannot buy salvation with cash. Only sincere repentance, and complete surrender to the will of God can ever merit salvation.

Am I correct in this interpretation? That God commanded blood sacrifice so that the Israelites would be made aware of the severity of sin, and that they would in turn make sincere repentence?

Now we jump to the New Testament, mankind is still completely estranged from God. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, comes to teach us the path to salvation. which is nothing other than complete acquiecence to the will of God, being holy even if it means you will be killed. How many of us today would actually surrender our lives for justice, for good, for the will of God? Jesus Christ was perfectly good, perfectly sinless, yet we hated him, and sinner's like us had him put to death. Essentially the basis of all sin is a hatred of what is good, hatred of God. So it was inevitable that sinful mankind would despise God Incarnate. The world detested Christ, and indeed does hate Him today, even St. Peter denied Him. Yet Christ, loving us so much accepted this inevitability and went to the cross, even though he could have easily just destroyed us rather than suffer the excruciating death that he did. By accepting His brutal execution God has demonstrated just how much he loves us, and just how horrible we sinners actually are. His cross demonstrates that the penalty for sin is SUFFERING and DEATH. Sin is so severe that it sheds blood, the very blood of God Himself. SIN KILLS. This is the ultimate sacrifice, the willing sacrifice of God himself. Christ's cross becomes the most potent symbol of salvation, the very means of salvation because it reminds us just how evil and profligate we really are. WE KILLED AN INNOCENT MAN, A PERFECT MAN, GOD HIMSELF. Arguably the most heinous and unjust crime in the history of the world, and definitely the most famous execution in the history of the world. It is our recognition of this guilt that saves us and nothing else, because it can only be the recognition of this horrible suffering that we inflicted on God Himself that we can ever be motivated to truly repent. Everytime we see a crucifix we should feel intense remorse, and be determined not to sin, this is the path to salvation. Salvation is "knowing" that SIN KILLS. The Mass and the sacraments instituted by Christ effect our salvation because we need to be constantly reminded how sinful we are and unworthy we are to receive Him, salvation is a constant battle for the individual soul, a cross all Christians should bear every minute let alone every Sunday. It is complete obedience to justice and to the will of God that merits salvation, even if it means your own death.. To be saved we must not only attempt to, but we must want to live in complete imitation of Christ. Our religion was founded by martyrs, by people willing to suffer unimaginable suffering for the cause of God, it was their unyeilding love of justice, their love and imitation of Christ that inspired people to conversion, not bible thumping or philosophizing, or apologetics. How rare is this sense of willingness to die in the cause of justice amongst our so called Christians today. And we wonder why our faith and our Church is in decline. The sacrifice of Christ has value only in so far as you are constantly made aware of how unworthy you are to receive its benefits, and this can only be accomplished though the sacraments of the Catholic Church. Mere belief in a historical event can never save anyone, just as cursory obervance of ancient rituals can never save anyone. We Christians have a most difficult task, ours is arguably the most difficult religion in the world to sincerely follow. Muslims merely need imitate the lifestyle of a medieval Arab warrior, Buddhists merely need to imitate the lifestyle of an ascetic prince from India....us Christians on the otherhand are required to imitate God incarnate....the very living God Himself, the Creator of the universe, the source of all that is good, the very essence of being, the Logos Jesus Christ. There can never be salvation outside the Catholic religion because no other religion assumes complete responsibility for the unjust murder of God incarnate, (even St. Peter denied Him). God's forgivenes was always there, but until we were made aware of how evil we were, when we killed Jesus Christ, we could never have been saved. Salvation was impossible before the cross, because legitimate repentance was impossible before the cross. God has always loved us, it is we sinners that hate Him. Christ as our mediator, and our redeemer has shown us precisely what God demands from us, with his own suffering flesh and blood, it is now up to us to love God in return, to repent, to do penance....but anyone with a decent sense of morality can do that....to be truly Christian we must imitate the life of Christ to be saved. We must be steadfast in the face of sin, fearless in the face of Satan, and willing to die for God's justice.

Summary:
THE CROSS OF CHRIST is a perfect expiatory sacrifice because it shows believers, shows all mankind that the cost of sin is nothing other than suffering, bloodshed and death, even the bloodshed of God incarnate
THE CROSS OF CHRIST restores God's honor because this act alone is perfect evidence not only of God's existence but His boundless love for us
THE CROSS OF CHRIST appeases God's wrath, in that rather than destroy us, He was willingly killed by us
THE CROSS OF CHRIST reconciles mankind with God, because believers now know without any doubt whatsoever that God not only exists, but that he loves us so much that He would rather suffer the pains of crucifixion than simply destroy us.
THE CROSS OF CHRIST washes away sin, and pays the just penalty of sin because sin can only be forgiven by sincere repentance, and there can NEVER be true repentance until one accepts that they themselves as sinner are completely responsible for the unjust brutal execution of Jesus Christ....we tried to murder our God on Calvary 2000 years ago....we mocked and mutilated Yahweh Himself....and we crucify Him again and again everytime we sin.

There can be no salvation other that through the Cross of Christ, because until one admits they are a sinner thus taking responsibilty for the brutal execution of the perfect Christ, of God, there can NEVER be true repentance, and as such NO FORGIVENESS, and no salvation

This is how I interpret the satisfaction theory of atonement, i really need to know if this interpretation is doctrinally sound, and if it isnt please give me some suggestions.

Thank You

[Pio Nono]

JMJ
2/26 - Third Tuesday of Lent

crux celticus,

I know that my answer is most likely not complete, so I invite others to jump in as they can.

I do want to point out a dangerous idea, like pointing out a ditch for you to avoid driving into. The Councils of Orange and Trent are clear that we can never [i]merit[/i] salvation. That was essentially the doctrine of Pelagius, and it was given new life more recently by Schleiermacher and Hegel. No matter what level of compunction I feel, nor how completely I turn my life around, none of it is of any value apart from the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ.

How [i]exactly[/i] atonement happens, though, has not been defined (to my knowledge). Anselm's theory is one suggestion, but it's not official teaching. Just to be clear - in Anselm, we have to look at this objectively and not subjectively. From the point of view of the subject, it could seem like we're bordering on Marcionism; the Angry Thor-like God of the Old Testament, Adonai, demands sacrifice, and so the human-loving Son, Jesus, decides to have mercy upon us and offer Himself. Objectively, though, it is one movement - because of who we are, and because of what sin is, the Father sent the Son to atone for the sins of those who cannot atone for sin themselves.

Hope this helps.

Yours,
Pio Nono