Christ’s work of atonement and reconciliation is threefold because His offices of king, priest, and prophet are threefold. In his work Christus Victor, Swedish Lutheran theologian Gustaf Aulén famously outlined three major atonement motifs: Conquest, Substitution, and Moral Influence.1 The conquest, or Christus Victor, motif deals with Christ’s conquest of demonic forces (sin, death, and the Devil).2 The substitution motif deals with Christ’s payment for sins (whatever form that may take) in the place of fallen humanity.3 Finally, moral influence theories of the atonement deal with Christ being a good example or making a transformative existential gesture to humanity.4
Throughout the history of Christian thought, theologians have often chosen one motif and excluded the others. Therefore, we should recognize that all three motifs have a valid basis in the New Testament. Moreover, each motif corresponds to an office of Christ: as king, Christ wages the Father’s apocalyptic war; as priest, Christ atones for sin; as prophet, Christ reveals the testament of the gospel to humanity, and gives humanity the Spirit. The Spirit, in turn, helps believers follow the moral example of faith and self-sacrificial love Jesus revealed on the cross.
Continue reading “Christ’s Offices and the Foundational Nature of Substitutionary Atonement”