Pub Club

Rooted at the heart of the Christian faith is the stubborn declaration that Jesus “died for us.” Precisely why his death came to mean so much to Christians has, however, been a subject of wonderful and diverse exploration over the ages. The twentieth-century Christian writer and apologist C. S. Lewis noted that the exact meaning of Jesus’ death would always lie beyond theories about its meaning when he wrote, “The central Christian belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start. Theories as to how it did this are another matter. A good many different theories have been held as to how it works; what all Christians are agreed on is that it does work.”1 “Somehow” by his death on the cross, Christians have come to trust that Jesus spans the divide between human and the divine. “Somehow” by his death on the cross, Christians have come to believe that he bridges the moral chasm between our imperfection and God’s perfection.

Christians have come to understand the “how” in the “somehow” power of Jesus’ death in three general ways: forgiveness, inspiration, and revelation. This first cluster of atonement theories understands the cross in terms of human sinfulness and God’s forgiveness. The second group of atonement theories understands Jesus’ sacrifice in terms of how it inspires his followers to similar acts of love, integrity, and self-denial. The third way of understanding Jesus’ death sees it in terms of the way it shows the depth of God’s love for us and God’s readiness to be with us in suffering.

Tonight the Young Adult’s are going to look at the different theories of atonement as journey this Easter Season.