Now that the holy day is over, and the season of
“Eastertide” has begun, it is a good time to reflect on the deeper mystery of
what I sometimes call the “great trilogy”, the three big events that changed
faith history: the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.
One of these standing alone would not be enough to save the
world. These three pivotal events intertwine to form the sacred story of
salvation by grace. It is by the work of God, who crossed over the chasm
between the divine and human, that Jesus became what we are so that we can
become like he is. It is by the self-emptying love of Christ that we find the
ultimate expression of God’s very being and discover the essence of true love.
And it is by the immense victory of life over death that we find meaning when
we ourselves walk through death’s shadow. These three events shape our
spirituality and restore the world to wholeness.
I have never been a fan of teachings related to the concept
of “substitutionary atonement.” These teachings revolve around the idea that
God had to vindicate himself against himself, because of the blood sacrifice he
demanded for sin. So Jesus had to pay the price to purchase our forgiveness from
God (when Jesus is, himself, God’s self). I do not mean to caricature a belief
that is sacred to many, but for me, it simply doesn’t make any sense. The
atonement is not a transaction, a slight
of hand, or tricky payoff.
But seeing each of the “great trilogy” of events as an
integral part of the salvation story puts the atonement in perspective. I
appreciate what the Disciple Bible Study series teaches, that the essence of
the atonement is the restorative “at-ONE-ment” action of God. This is what both
the cross and the resurrection are about.
The cross is the ultimate expression of God’s self-giving
love, and it is the emptiness of the
cross that expresses our victory over the grave. The atonement is not some
twisted transaction that an angry God required to satisfy himself. It is the
most extreme, life-changing, earth-cleansing expression of the very nature of
God’s stubborn love. God refused to give up on us, on a world that kept “going
to pot” on its own. And the grace of God’s love is what transforms the cross
into victory.
Easter is not about avoiding God’s judgment. It is about
embracing God’s grace! We must never stop at thinking Easter is our ticket to
heaven. It is about more than personal salvation. It is about the world’s
redemption.
