The Synoptic Gospels and Atonement (2)

On Wednesday of this week, I tackled critics who set in opposition the gospel preached by the apostle Paul and the teaching of the Lord Jesus in the synoptic gospels, alleging they disagree, particularly with respect to the issue of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. One critic I quoted claims Paul invented the atonement concept out of whole cloth. In response, I pointed out we should hardly expect to find fully developed teaching about atonement in the gospels, which record for the most part what took place leading up to the cross, and do not attempt to explore its implications.

Instead, I argued, in the synoptics we should expect to find hints, premonitions and suggestions that our Lord was doing something far grander and more significant in dying than simply paying the traditional price exacted from prophets for telling the truth.

Lo and behold, that is exactly what we find.

The Synoptic Gospels and Atonement (1)

Brace yourselves for a pair of lengthy but necessary posts. The error they address has been around for ages, but people are still circulating it online. Others have certainly pushed back against it, but we’ve never addressed it here at any length, and I think it’s worth some careful analysis.

Critics of Christianity often try to set the teaching of the gospels, in particular the synoptics, against the teaching of the apostle Paul in his epistles. They allege that the gospel preached by Paul contradicts and even “destroys” the teaching of Jesus. That’s a claim that cries out for rebuttal from the pages of scripture. If true, it presents a major difficulty for the Christian faith.

One of the areas in which Paul and Jesus allegedly differ is the subject of atonement.

When the Chickens Come Home to Roost

In his classic The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis wrote a scene I loved as a child, and have never been able to forget as an adult. The lion Aslan (Lewis’s Christ analog) is speaking to Aravis, the Calormene girl who has fled her family and home country to avoid a forced marriage, and is currently recovering from a fairly serious injury inflicted on the way to Narnia by a previously unrecognized lion.

So Aslan tells her the real reason for her injuries.

The Purpose of the Sacrifices [Part 5]

Continuing an examination of the sacrifices of the Old Testament. We started with what the sacrifices WERE NOT and are now examining what they WERE.

In my last post we examined the way in which the sacrifices served the very practical purpose of providing food for God’s servants and their families.

What other purposes did the sacrifices serve?

The Purpose of the Sacrifices [Part 5]

The most recent version of this post is available here.