Trinity Incarnation And Atonement

This volume is a collection of essays by philosophers and theologians on the central doctrines of the Christian faith. The eight essays aim to present the subleties and riches of the Christian doctrines of Trinity, Incarnation and Atonement - doctrines that are essential for understanding the distinctiveness of Christianity.

One must believe in the Incarnation and the Trinity to be saved. These doctrines are easy to state, but difficult to understand. The best attempts of philosophers and theologians have availed little to satisfy the yearnings of the devoted heart. With logical rigor and philosophical precision, Christ Condemned provides a thorough explanation of the Incarnation and the Trinity. The author breaks complex concepts into their simplest parts, making the book's argument accessible to a common audience, while satisfying the demands of scholars. The critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant is thoroughly explained, and employed in the defense of Christian doctrine. The work is challenging, as it should be, but the insights within are available to those who put in the time and effort. This is not a work of high-flown speculation, but an immanently practical account, showing the absolute necessity of these doctrines for the salvation of the soul. The divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Trinity of divine persons are demonstrated by and for the sake of the sinner to repent of his sins, and to glorify the God of his salvation. The work begins with the practical proof of God’s existence, necessary for man to be happy in doing his duty. It then shows the necessity of revelation from God in Jesus Christ, who being God manifest in the flesh, is righteous under the condemnation of the Father for the sins of the world. The persons are then defined, and their roles distinguished in the work of atonement. Finally, the possibility of three persons in one nature is examined and explained, and the absolute necessity of the existence of the Triune God is proven. This is a groundbreaking work of immense scope. In the space of 124 pages, the fundamental doctrines of Christianity are proven and explained, both from the revelation of God in Scripture, and the dire need of reason for a solution to the problem of sin. Reason and revelation are harmonized, and the orthodox doctrine of the historic church is vindicated. This is essential reading for serious students of theology.

For many believers today the doctrines of Atonement, Christology and the Trinity seem like puzzling constructions produced by academic theologians. They are cast in unintelligible forms of thought derived from Platonism or from feudal society, and for many their existential relevance for life today remains unclear. This book introduces these doctrines and proposes a reinterpretation in the light of the claim of many Christian mystics that ultimate happiness is to be found in enjoying the loving fellowship of God. This claim is amatrix of faith in terms of which these doctrines are shown to be relevant for the life of faith of believers today. Furthermore, since this matrix can be defended within all three Abrahamic traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the proposed understanding of these doctrines can also contribute usefully to the necessary dialogue between these traditions in a globalised world.

The doctrines of the atonement and the Trinity are central not only to the Christian faith but also to Christian systematic theology. Over the last decade or so, one or another theological interpretation of either of these doctrines has assumed pride of place among theologians. Before Robert Sherman, though, no theologian has ever dared to read the atonement in light of the Trinity. Most of the time atonement theories simply focus on the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, without any reference to Christ's relationship to the Father and the Spirit of the Trinity. But, as Sherman argues, Christ's atoning work is diverse and cannot be limited to one who ransoms our sins or to one who has victory over our sins (although in Sherman's view Christ's atoning work includes these tasks and more). He offers here a constructive theological proposal that connects Trinity with the rubrics of prophet, priest, and king to help explain Christ's atoning work. One can understand adequately neither Christ's multifaceted reconciliation of a complex humanity to God nor that reconciliations fundamental unity as God's gracious act apart form the Trinity. Without this framework, one will likely stress one person of the Trinity, one aspect of God's reconciling work, and/or one understanding of the human predicament to the exclusion of others and the detriment of theology, both systematic and pastoral. Sherman's constructive theological proposal suggests that we should recognize a certain correspondence and mutual support between the three persons of the Trinity, the three offices of Christ (king, prophet, priest), and the three commonly recognized models of his atoning work (Christus victor, vicarious sacrifice, moral exemplar). Sherman's book offers a well-nuanced and well-grounded constructive theology of Trinitarian atonement and is a significant addition to the Theology for the Twenty-First Century Series. Robert J. Sherman is Professor of Christian Theology at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine. His work has appeared in such publications as the Scottish Journal of Theology, the International Journal of Systematic Theology, and The Journal of Religion.

Over the past sixty years, within the analytic tradition of philosophy, there has been a significant revival of interest in the philosophy of religion. More recently, philosophers of religion have turned in a more self-consciously interdisciplinary direction, with special focus on topics that have traditionally been the provenance of systematic theologians in the Christian tradition. The present volumes Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volumes 1 and 2 aim to bring together some of the most important essays on six central topics in recent philosophical theology. Volume 1 collects essays on three distinctively Christian doctrines: trinity, incarnation, and atonement. Volume 2 focuses on three topics that arise in all of the major theistic religions: providence, resurrection, and scripture.

Total Atonement re-imagines the “apprehended mystery” of the atonement in light of the triune nature of God and the person and work of the incarnate Christ. W. Ross Hastings proposes participation as a theory or framework of atonement that holds all other models within it. He argues that God’s participation in humanity in order that humans might participate in God invites a total approach to the mystery of the atonement, that is, one that involves the whole Trinity, the whole person and history of Christ, and all the biblical motifs and theological models of atonement–– including penal substitution (properly nuanced to overcome its caricatures), Christus victor, satisfaction, vicarious life, and moral exemplar. Hastings re-examines the scope of the atonement in light of these Trinitarian, incarnational realities.