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- Nov 17, 2016
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I agree.....although we may differ on what "atoning" means. I believe it to mean "at-one-ment".
------>Franciscan teacher, Blessed John Duns Scotus (c. 1266-1308), who founded the theological chair at Oxford, said that Jesus wasn’t solving any problems by coming to earth and dying. Jesus wasn’t changing God’s mind about us; rather, Jesus was changing our minds about God. That, in a word, was our nonviolent at-one-ment theory. God did not need Jesus to die on the cross to decide to love humanity. God’s love was infinite from the first moment of creation; the cross was just Love’s dramatic portrayal in space and time.
Scotus built his argument on the pre-existent Cosmic Christ described in Colossians and Ephesians. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) who came forward in a moment of time so we could look upon “the One we had pierced” (John 19:37) and see God’s unconditional love for us, in spite of our failings.
The image of the cross was to change humanity, not a necessary transaction to change God—as if God needed changing! Scotus concluded that Jesus’ death was not a “penal substitution” but a divine epiphany for all to see. Jesus was pure gift, and the idea of gift is much more transformative than any idea of necessity, price, or transaction. It shows that God is not violent, but loving.~https://cac.org/nonviolent-atonement-one-ment-2016-10-12/
Thanks for the post.
I am not familiar with this author, but it seems to represent the "example" or "moral" views of the Atonement.
The two problems, of course, with these views are that they can do nothing to change the fallen nature of man. They do nothing to remove the sin everyone commits daily. Sin cannot be joined to God, yet God commands us to be joined to Him. Effective change can only occur with the death of the "old man." That is a spiritual work and thus can only occur by the Spirit of God giving birth to us. Only that which is spiritual can give birth to that which is spiritual. Only that which is spiritual in nature can be joined to God who is Spirit. Such is not possible by example/inspiration alone.
Also, of course, those views avoid the necessity of justice. It is our experience in societies the world over that without justice, there is no prosperity of any sort.
I surmise that those two views are attractive to those desiring to work for their salvation (not that that is the case with you)
(Sorry for not looking up supporting Scripture. they are there though)
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