Atonement

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RECOVERING BIBLICAL AT-ONE-MENT : M. M. M. NINAN Satisfaction restores God's honor through the individual's payment to God, first, in full, and then above and beyond the debt incurred. The fact that sin is rooted in a violation of God's character necessitates a response by God in either of these two methods of vindication. Anslem uses the feudal model of making the Kingdom work as it should. In the earlier age because of the rebellion of the angels, the Kingdom lost a number of individuals from the "heavenly city" . "We cannot doubt that the rational nature, which either is or is going to be blessed in the contemplation of God, was foreseen by God as existing in a particular reasonable and perfect number, so that its number cannot be greater or smaller... Either [the fallen angels'] number must necessarily be made up, or else the rational nature will remain incomplete in number." (I.16) The only reasonable choice left for God (based on his will to have the perfect number of rational natures) between punishment and satisfaction is that of satisfaction. Satisfaction consists of both the full payment of the debt and a gift whereby the debt is exceeded. The debt in this instance which must be repaid in full is that honor which was taken from God when man failed to obey God fully and thereby shame the devil by demonstrating that the weaker creature could persevere in obedience to a greater degree than the stronger. But now that man has fallen into disobedience, how may he ever regain his original state of innocence within which he was called to persevere. Indeed this in itself is an impossible task!. Regarding a payment in excess of the debt, who has possession of that which exceeds the tremendous debt incurred? Since all of creation has now fallen, that which must be given must exceed all of creation in greatness. Anselm writes, "If he is to give something of his own to God, which surpasses everything that is beneath God, it is also necessary for him to be greater than everything that is not God. But there is nothing above everything that it not God, save God himself... Then no one but God can make this satisfaction," (II.6). Hence God the Son has to take the human form to be one person in the perfect Chalcedonian christology of two natures within one person: This was necessary because, : 48
RECOVERING BIBLICAL AT-ONE-MENT : M. M. M. NINAN "If these two complete natures are said to be united in some way, but still man is one person and God another, so that the same person is not both God and man, the two natures cannot do what needs to be done. For God will not do it, because he does not owe it, and man will not do it, because he cannot. Therefore, for the God-Man to do this, the person who is to make the satisfaction must be both perfect God and perfect man, because none but true God can make it, and none but true man owes it." (II.7) This honor has to be repaid somehow due to the nature of God. Man can’t pay it, only God can pay it, so God becomes man to not only pay what His due is to the Father through perfect obedience, but goes beyond that to give what He didn’t have to give, His life. Since He didn’t need this “merit”, we can obtain that merit for paying our debt to God off. In Anselm's view, Christ passes on to mankind the infinite merit which he accomplished in his work on the cross. This merit then restores mankind in the sight of God, enabling the original purpose of God to be fulfilled, namely, that man as a rational creature may eternally enjoy contemplation of God's presence. The sacraments then become a means of distributing these merits, as well as other good works. This is basically the Roman Catholic understanding. 49
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Atonement

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