By Steve

The bathtub in our guest bathroom rarely gets used. Until this week. I noticed, while using another bathroom amenity, that a spider has taken up residence in the tub. It has been there all week and probably thankful for the lack of use by me. When things are not used for sometime, they are forgotten, become useless or used by and for something not originally intended. Before long we may wonder if the tub has any value or if it works. Perhaps the only way to find out is to hop in, turn the water on and wash the spider down the drain (or pick it up and gently place it outside).

I am not going to jump into the tub, but I am going to dive head first into a topic that probably needs to be cleaned up, washing the filthy (wrong) parts down the drain and hopefully uncovering some beauty.

Atonement.

The good news of Christianity, our gospel, is that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God really did atone for our sins. Of course, as with all beliefs there are several views of atonement theology. Some lean heavily on the Christus Victor theme, a belief that on the cross Jesus has won the victory over the powers of evil. Some focus more on the "personal" aspect of atonement, referring the judicial or penal elements. For now, the particular views are not what matter, for something more significant bothers me.

While the atonement offers good news, it finds itself in the company of bad news. The bad news, maybe more a question, is does atonement (any theory) work? In other words, does forgiveness of sins, the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, this reconciled relationship with God, the atonement...does it really transform the individual? Are Christians any better? Any different? Than before the effect of atonement.

To this I say the answer must be yes. At least the possibility. The atonement ought to make a difference in the here and now. And it can. Whether it has or not in the past, and how it might now and onward are things to be discussed here. Just not today.

(ideas for this post stream are influenced by N.T. Wrights, Evil and the Justice of God and Scot Mcknights, A Community Called Atonement)