Spinks rethinks atonement by giving careful attention to the words of Jesus, abandoning entirely the concept of "the atonement" held as the most popular view among conservative evangelicals today.
Most of the classic theories of the atonement propose what the authors intended to be literal, often legal, explanations of what Jesus did for us on the cross. These theories proposed the idea that the cross of Christ provided "the atonement" -- an event that made it possible for God to forgive us and make us his children.
The New Testament shows that Jesus did not preach any "theory of the atonement." In fact, Jesus never used any word that could be translated "atonement," nor did he preach any concept that could be so construed. Jesus proclaimed the metaphor of the loving Father. Jesus taught how we are to reconcile (although he never used that word, either) with the Father, not how the Father reconciles himself to us.
The view presented here does not claim to be Jesus' theory of the atonement, for the New Testament evidence does not indicate that he had one. Instead, Spinks sets forth what Jesus proclaimed as his good news of the kingdom of God. Once we understand the gospel Jesus preached, we do not need any theory of the atonement because Jesus' message, as communicated through his favorite metaphor, stands sufficient on its own.
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