Preface
“Good Friday” is the title of the above painting by Australian Aboriginal artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. The phrase “Good Friday” refers to the day Christ died on the cross. When Christians speak of “the cross” they are referring to more than Christ’s violent death, they have in mind his triumphant resurrection and victory over evil. Of course, death and evil are still with us. But God has been fighting evil from time immemorial and will continue to the end of “the present evil age,” as Paul called it in Gal 1:4. The Son of God entered human history in order to undertake the vital element of God’s plan of atonement. The question we will pursue here is, how is God achieving atonement and what role did Christ’s crucifixion play?
We will examine how God eradicates evil and yet saves people who are sinful. In recent decades, Christian theologians have been working to further the church’s understanding of God’s plan of salvation. But controversy and argument abound. So, I will sketch the current debate for those who have not been following it before and propose a solution that avoids the problems. God is reasonable, so a logical solution should exist.
The model of atonement advanced employs the biblical analogy of light shining in the darkness with Christ dispelling the murk of evil. Christ’s light illuminates his people, eliminating the power, shame and guilt of sin. Matthew, in his gospel, described Christ’s coming in terms of the dawning of light (Matt 4:16-17). John wrote, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). This is analogous to overcoming evil with good (Rom 12:21) and suggests the name for this model as Lumen Christi (light of Christ). The aboriginal artwork at the start of each chapter is a reminder of the unpretentious beauty of the gospel. Christian theology should seek the elegant solution.
Lumen Christi builds on God’s commitment to be God to his people. The model applies the discipline of critical reasoning to develop its logic. In addition, recent scholarly work on Paul’s theology provides encouragement for a fresh interpretation of Scripture. I credit the Holy Spirit for contributing new insights on Scripture through my prayer journaling; not that I am claiming divine inspiration status for my writing. Any errors are mine. But the aim is to progress the study of atonement to the glory of God and praise of our Saviour.
Derek Thompson, B.E. (Elec.), Dip. Th.