![]() ![]() There are many other things that Scripture says about Christ’s death. Furthermore, this meaning is obvious in the sacrificial system at the heart of the old covenant, of which Christ’s work is the fulfillment. Not only is it evident in the word “propitiation” (Heb 2:17 1 Jn 2:2 4:10) it is evident in the numerous references in the Gospels and epistles to Christ’s death for/in place of sinners. So it is wide of the mark even historically to suggest that the doctrine of Christ’s suffering in the place of sinners, bearing their guilt before the face of the holy God, is a legacy of the medieval imagination. This is precisely how Scripture describes it. However, the Protestant Reformers grounded satisfaction in God’s justice, righteousness, and love. ![]() It is true that the 11 th-century theologian, Anselm, emphasized Christ’s death as the satisfaction of God’s offended dignity, reflecting a more feudal concept of a king’s majesty needing to be defended. To propitiate is to make satisfaction, to appease. ![]() ![]() Yet the best news of all is that we are “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom 3:24-25). The good news is that “In Christ Alone” is widely sung-in its original form-and that the authors refused permission to edit out its heart. The CT report referred to its cover story in 2006 on how a growing number of evangelicals “believe Christ’s atoning death is merely a grotesque creation of the medieval imagination.” According to critics, it relies on the theory of the 11 th-century theologian, Anselm, who argued that Christ’s death satisfied God’s offended dignity. Committee chair Mary Louise Bringle told The Christian Century that the “view that the cross is primarily about God’s need to assuage God’s anger” would communicate the wrong message to worshipers about the meaning of Christ’s death. Instead of “’Til on that cross as Jesus died/ the wrath of God was satisfied,” the committee wanted “’Till on that cross as Jesus died/ the love of God was magnified.”ĭespite the fact that the new version still rhymed, the authors refused to grant permission. The hymnal committee initially wanted to include the song, but asked authors Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend for permission to edit out the offending line. According to a recent Christianity Today online report, the worship song “In Christ Alone” didn’t make it in to the new Presbyterian Church USA hymnal.Īpparently, mention of God’s wrath being satisfied by Christ’s vicarious death was the sticking point. ![]()
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