THE ATONEMENT SERIES: PART 3
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QUESTION: It is commonly preached that Christ died for our sins, that the penalty of sin is death and that Christ took on this punishment in our place. If so, was the life and teaching of Christ before his suffering and death important for our salvation? Explain.
IRENAEUS OF LYONS (c.130–202) was an early church Father who played an important role both in the spread of Christian churches and in the establishment of orthodox doctrine. He is the author of Against Heresies, which is a refutation primarily of Gnosticism and Marcionism. He taught that true doctrine is supported by three pillars: Scripture, apostolic tradition, and teachings that can be traced back directly to the apostles. Although Against Heresies was not written as a theory of the Atonement, Irenaeus does present several theories of the Atonement when presenting his arguments against heresies. This includes a sort of proto-version of Ransom to Satan, and a more developed theory called Recapitulation. Essentially, Recapitulation understands that everything Adam did in disobedience to the Father, Christ undid through perfect obedience to the Father. People therefore start out with Adam as their head, in a fallen state of separation from God. If someone puts their faith and trust in Christ, they transition from a state of being in Adam to a state of being in Christ, from a state of being spiritually dead to a state of being spiritually alive, from a state of being separated from God to being in union with God.
READING: Therefore, as I have already said, He caused man (human nature) to cleave to and to become, one with God. For unless man had overcome the enemy of man, the enemy would not have been legitimately vanquished. And again: unless it had been God who had freely given salvation, we could never have possessed it securely. And unless man had been joined to God, he could never have become a partaker of incorruptibility. For it was incumbent upon the Mediator between God and men, by His relationship to both, to bring both to friendship and concord, and present man to God, while He revealed God to man. For, in what way could we be partaken of the adoption of sons, unless we had received from Him through the Son that fellowship which refers to Himself, unless His Word, having been made flesh, had entered into communion with us?
Wherefore also He passed through every stage of life, restoring to all communion with God. Those, therefore, who assert that He appeared putatively, and was neither born in the flesh nor truly made man, are as yet under the old condemnation, holding out patronage to sin; for, by their showing, death has not been vanquished, which reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression [Romans 5:14]. But the law coming, which was given by Moses, and testifying of sin that it is a sinner, did truly take away his (death’s) kingdom, showing that he was no king, but a robber; and it revealed him as a murderer. It laid, however, a weighty burden upon man, who had sin in himself, showing that he was liable to death. For as the law was spiritual, it merely made sin to stand out in relief, but did not destroy it. For sin had no dominion over the spirit, but over man.
For it behooved Him who was to destroy sin, and redeem man under the power of death, that He should Himself be made that very same thing which he was, that is, man; who had been drawn by sin into bondage, but was held by death, so that sin should be destroyed by man, and man should go forth from death. For as by the disobedience of the one man who was originally molded from virgin soil, the many were made sinners, Romans 5:19 and forfeited life; so was it necessary that, by the obedience of one man, who was originally born from a virgin, many should be justified and receive salvation. Thus, then, was the Word of God made man, as also Moses says: God, true are His works. Deuteronomy 32:4 But if, not having been made flesh, He did appear as if flesh, His work was not a true one. But what He did appear, that He also was: God recapitulated in Himself the ancient formation of man, that He might kill sin, deprive death of its power, and vivify man; and therefore His works are true. [Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.18.7]
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