The Atonement
I am convinced that a real theology—as distinct from a theory—of the Atonement properly commences with the "mind of Christ." I mean "mind" here in a plain and most elementary sense. When Jesus hung on the Cross, what did he think he was doing? What was his understanding of Calvary? What was his defining frame of reference?
Obviously, the deepest reaches of such inquiries elude inspection, because Jesus' understanding of the Passion was embraced within his unique relationship to the Father. Consequently, a real theology of the Atonement will insist that there must be no interpretive reference extraneous to that relationship. There, and nowhere else, can a real theology of the Atonement begin.
With respect to the meaning of the Cross, the Father and his incarnate Word shared a mutual understanding. And that understanding of the Cross is the only one that counts. This is the sole entrance into the mystery of the Atonement; we enter it cautiously and by invitation.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor emeritus of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Out of Step with God: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Numbers (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2019).
subscription options
Order
Print/Online Subscription
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Order
Online Only
Subscription
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
19.10—December 2006
Workers of Another World United
A Personal Commemoration of Poland’s Solidarity 25 Years Later by John Harmon McElroy
35.2—Mar/Apr 2022
on Fatigued Christians Deciding to Engage the Culture by Keith Lowery
28.5—Sept/Oct 2015
on Our Sacred Duty to Teach the Devil to Death by Marcus Johnson
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
