Atonement and the Life of Faith

Soteriology and Doxology Series

by Adam J. Johnson

In this volume, an expert theologian addresses the key soteriological theme of atonement. Atonement and the Life of Faith provides substantive engagement with the doctrine of the atonement, including sections on the creeds, Scripture, the history of doctrine, constructive dogmatics, and Christian praxis. It focuses on the third part of the Apostles' Creed, exploring how the church, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian life relate to the doctrine of the atonement. Each section offers a constructive departure from trends in contemporary works on the subject.This book shows students how to integrate theology into the life of faith and demonstrates how theological thinking is a part of Christian worship. Each unit begins with a brief section pointing readers to a familiar hymn, poem, or liturgy.The Soteriology and Doxology series consists of introductory textbooks that cover key topics in soteriology. Volumes provide substantive treatments of doctrine while pointing to the setting of theology in doxology. Series editors are Kent Eilers and Kyle C. Strobel.

Genres: Theology

208 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2024

About the author

I am a theologian who focuses on the doctrine of the atonement, exploring the many ways in which the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ effect the reconciliation of all things to God.

In addition to biblical, theological and historical explorations of the atonement, I also enjoy exploring the contribution of literature and other fields to the topic.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University in La Mirada, CA.

My wife, Katrina, and I have been married 12 years, and have three sons. We love camping and exploring America's National Parks.

Reviews

[Samuel G. Parkison]

Thoroughly stimulating. The last three chapters are outstanding and make this book a must-read. Johnson helpfully reframes the history of the doctrine of atonement and puts to rest the faulty and hopelessly anachronistic “atonement theory” or “model” of the history that pits different figures and their “models” over and against each other. The chapter on the Holy Spirit’s role in the atonement was paradigm-shifting for me and filled a gap in my thinking I didn’t know that I had. And the final chapter on Christian forgiveness in relation to the atonement was stirring.

One small beef I have is Johnson’s sympathetic reading of Moffitt on “Sacrifice” and the Day of Atonement. He writes, “The animals are not punished, and the emphasis is not on death. As we have seen, punishment and death play a vital role in the Old Testament and in the work of Christ—but not with the sacrificial system, which is about the manipulation of blood and the cleansing of the people, with the ultimate goal of being in the presence of the Holy One of Israel” (pg 78). But this has always struck me as a false choice: namely, the choice between sacrifice being about punishment OR cleansing. Even in Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement seemed to have both directly in view; propitiation AND expiation. Johnson gets both concepts into his overall portrayal of atonement, but the trend of abstracting the punitive aspects of the sacrificial system in biblical studies is a mystifying one that I find altogether unpersuasive. Aside from this objection (and Johnson’s overly friendly appreciation of Barth), I thoroughly enjoyed this book.