AA, I'd like to ask your opinion on something.
When Jesus uttered "It is finished!" on the cross He was speaking of His mission to the people of the earth. He had at that point brought the Gospel message to us. But was this the entire salvation process?
Did Jesus go into hell and do battle? Was He beaten and dragged about? No, He wasn't. I agree with you that He went there to proclaim victory.
But the salvation process was not over. Consider:
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. 18 Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.
1 Cor 15:17-18 (NET)
Until the resurrection your faith is useless, you are still in your sins. Until the resurrection, Jesus did not become sin and you are not imputed righteousness. If the resurrection does not happen, we are all lost. So the cross was not the finish of our salvation. Without the resurrection there is no salvation. Without the cross there is no salvation either. Atonement is the whole process from the sacrifice on the altar through the path through the uninhabitable place and completing with the resurrection.
Comments?