Introduction
Jesus lived, died, and lives again as both fully human and fully God. He came to earth as the Son of God to be a sacrifice for our sins and as a man to show us how to live. Each time He was presented with a choice in which humans fail, He chose the unknowable wisdom of success. Jesus, the living Word who created Adam in the beginning and watched humanity’s downfall from heaven, plotted for good and forged a new path of righteousness from the path of destruction that humanity had set their hearts on.
The Christus Victory
Throughout church history, the church developed different theories of the doctrine of the Atonement: the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ[1]. Gustaf Aulen divides these theories into two categories in his book Christus Victor[2]. The first category is objective, in which the Atonement deals with a problem outside of ourselves (such as God’s righteous wrath against sin). The second category is subjective, in which the Atonement deals with a problem within us (such as our estranged view of God)[3]. The theory of the Christus Victor, however, falls outside both of these categories. “Christ – Christus Victor – fights against and triumphs over the evil powers of the world, the ‘tyrants’ under which mankind is in bondage and suffering, and in Him God reconciles the world to Himself.”[4] This theory sees the work of Christ as a continuous divine act that changes the situation between God and man, as opposed to the objective theories which see it as a discontinuous work started by God or the subjective theories which see it as a change within men.
The Works of Men
The failed nature of the works of men began with the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. This one disobedient act of eating the forbidden fruit put into motion thousands of years of men being plagued by a sinful nature. Even with the guidance of the Word of God that we now call the Old Testament, men continued to reject righteousness and foolishly fall back into their sin.
This nature can be seen in the Israelites during the time of the prophets. They claimed themselves as God’s chosen people, yet they worshipped other gods outside His temple. They were meant to be a light to the world, but they mistreated orphans, widows, and foreigners. They were called to be set apart and holy, but they committed unspeakable sins in the streets of God’s city. They became so consumed by evil that God’s presence fled His own temple in Ezekiel.
An individual example of this nature can be seen in the great King David. David was the mightiest king of Israel who knew no defeat in battle and had God on His side. He served God and God blessed him. However, even he fell prey to his own sinful nature when he took the married woman, Bathsheba, as his own and forced her into adultery, then attempting to cover his tracks by having her husband killed on the frontlines. His foolish, sinful decision led to much misery and devastation. David is proof that even the Godliest men fall short of the glory of God.
The Works of Christ
Jesus, perhaps, is the exception that proves the rule. He came to earth as a man and lived a perfect life, continuously denying the temptation of sin and choosing the path of wisdom and righteousness instead. Each and every time He was faced with an impossible decision, He somehow chose the Godly path. Jesus did what no other man could do: He lived a perfect life in spite of the sin that plagued the world and tried to engulf His very being; He could not be overcome.
A prime example of Jesus choosing the high road would be in His temptation in Matthew 4. Jesus is lead to the desert by the Spirit and is put through a series of tests, which He passes with flying colors. Where a starving man would choose food, the starving Jesus chose the Word of God. Where a prideful man would choose his own glory, the humble Jesus chose honoring God. Where a greedy man would choose power, the servant Jesus chose loyalty to God.
Another example of Jesus’ wisdom and righteousness is the story of the adulterous woman in John 8. The Pharisees created a trap for Jesus so that they could have the people turn against Him and set-in motion their plan to have Him killed. They brought Jesus a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery, the punishment for which (according to the books of Moses) was stoning, and asked Him what should be done with her. If Jesus said to stone her, He would look to be without mercy and love; furthermore, the Romans would come after Him as only Romans could inflict the death penalty. On the other hand, if He said to let her go, He would look to be without justice and disobeying the commands of God. So, Jesus said to let the one who is without sin throw the first stone. Once again, Jesus outsmarted the evil set before Him with a divine wisdom, showing Himself to be above the sinful ways of men.
Conclusion
Just as through the sinful acts of one man death came into the world, so through the righteous acts of one man life is offered as a free gift to mankind[5]. Jesus Christ, not only through His death but through every act of His life, brought freedom from the bondage of sin and gave humanity a way out of certain condemnation. He is the light that showed us the way to the right path previously hidden in darkness. He is the only man who ever did and ever will live a perfect life without sin. Because of Jesus’ works in life, we are given grace in His death.
Bibliography
“Atonement.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atonement.
Aulén, Gustaf. Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement. London: SPCK, 2010.
“Subjective and Objective Atonement – Abelard,Girard.” The Rebel God. October 16, 2006. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://www.therebelgod.com/2006/10/subjective-and-objective-atonement_16.html.
[1] “Atonement,” Merriam-Webster, |PAGE|, accessed February 22, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atonement).
[2] Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement (London: SPCK, 2010), |3|).
[3] “Subjective and Objective Atonement – Abelard,Girard,” The Rebel God, October 16, 2006, |PAGE|, accessed February 22, 2021, https://www.therebelgod.com/2006/10/subjective-and-objective-atonement_16.html).
[4] Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement (London: SPCK, 2010), |4|).
[5] Romans 5:17-18.