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How Can One Atone for All?

by Dr. Eitan Bar
6 minutes read

A significant misconception within Calvinistic theology is the idea that Jesus’ power to atone for sins must lay in the extent of cosmic suffering, pain, and abuse he endured from God. This concept suggests that the magnitude of human sin necessitated Jesus’ extreme suffering. Calvinist preacher and former president of the IMB, David Platt, explains:

What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus’ hands and feet but about the wrath due to your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul. In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came down rushing like a torrent on Christ himself.

Calvinist theologian Wayne Grudem agrees:

Jesus became the object of the intense hatred of sin and vengeance against sin which God had patiently stored up since the beginning of the world.

The assumption underlying Divine Abuse theology, I presume, is in the quantitive value of the atonement. To visualize this, consider each sin as one nail driven into an animal. For the sins of one hundred people, that’s one hundred nails. But how many nails would represent all the sins accumulated since the beginning of the world? Far more than any Roman soldier could hammer in. Thus, a substitute on the scale of billions of nails, akin to a cosmic nuclear bomb, would be necessary. In this metaphor, God’s wrath is the atomic bomb. The Divine Abuse argument posits that for Christ’s death to compensate for the lives of billions, he had to suffer immensely—“like a torrent,” as Platt describes. However, such intense pain and suffering could not be inflicted by mere human soldiers but only by the divine wrath of God, or so the theory goes.

Gnosticism

First, saying that Christ’s crucifixion isn’t just about “nails being thrust into Jesus’ hands and feet” implies that his physical suffering and humiliation were insufficient. Allegedly, God also had to abuse Jesus in some transcendental cosmic way. However, distinguishing the material from the spiritual as if they are two entirely separate and disconnected is an ancient heresy known as “Gnosticism.” This belief system sees matter as inferior and the spiritual as superior. Gnostics regarded the flesh and anything material as worthless, in stark contrast to the spiritual realm, which they deemed good. This perspective has historically infiltrated and influenced Christianity. Combating Gnosticism was one of the primary reasons John wrote his first epistle. Today, this is often apparent in how some Christians dismiss anything material and concentrate solely on the “spiritual” heaven that follows.

Biblically, however, the spirit is intricately integrated with the flesh. While worshiping material objects is viewed negatively, the matter itself, created by God, is not inherently evil. Humans are holistic beings, a seamless integration of physical and spiritual elements, without any distinct compartment in our bodies designated for the spirit. This unity is why scripture instructs us to confess Christ as Lord using our physical mouths and to be baptized with our physical bodies—an external, public expression of internal spiritual transformations. This holistic view extends to the resurrection, where we are promised to be raised with our physical bodies, affirming that we cannot exist as mere spirits without our physical form. Understanding this interconnectedness is crucial in avoiding the Gnosticism heresy Calvinists often fall for.

Quantity vs. Quality

Secondly, the fundamental fallacy of Divine Abuse’s argument is that it focuses on quantity over quality. According to this viewpoint, the myriad sins of humanity necessitated either countless deaths or, in Jesus’ case, extreme cosmic torture inflicted by the Father. However, this rationale is fundamentally flawed. Consider the obedience people show to a king’s command. It doesn’t stem from the king needing to repeat himself endlessly, shouting loudly until everyone finally complies. Neither does a king require a lengthy letter to present his case. The significance lies in quality and authority rather than quantity. Likewise, the potency of Jesus’ blood is rooted in its intrinsic authority.

Thus, equating the value of Christ’s atonement with the amount of pain and suffering he allegedly endured from the Father misconstrues the situation. The significance of Christ’s sacrifice lies in the profound authority it represents, not in the level of suffering it entails.

Instead of measuring the value of the atonement by the amount of pain and suffering the sacrifice endured, we should consider the intrinsic value of the sacrifice itself. The distinction between all the lambs and bulls in the world and Jesus isn’t about quantity but quality. He is eternal; they are not.

In the Old Testament, offering a pigeon was valued more highly than offering bread, and offering a lamb or cattle was considered more significant than offering a pigeon. A red heifer was more valuable than a regular cow. This principle holds true even today, as seen in how Wagyu beef can fetch prices up to forty times that of regular cattle.

Similarly, Christ’s value far surpasses all birds, cattle, and all other animals combined. Since Christ is infinite and eternal, his value is also infinite and eternal. Christ was not merely a lamb, goat, pigeon, or bull. He is timeless, without an expiration date. While the worth of material items like gold and silver can be weighed and negotiated, Christ, the eternal Son of God, possesses a value that transcends all measurement. In other words, one tiny drop of Christ’s eternal blood is worth infinite forgiveness, grace, and redemption, covering all sins for all time:

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Peter 1:18

As highlighted by his disciples (e.g., 1 Peter 2:21), Jesus’s obedience in suffering reflects his profound love and serves as a model for us. However, the efficacy of salvation does not derive from the immense suffering he endured. The true value of his atonement lies in the worth of his blood—his life. It isn’t that Jesus endured a sufficient amount of pain to substitute for all the punishment and abuse we needed to suffer; instead, it’s that Jesus’s life is inherently precious enough to redeem us all.

Thus, the measure of atonement is not about the quantity—of nails or pain and suffering—but about the quality of the sacrifice that provides redemption for all, once and for all. If Christ is eternal and infinite, so too his blood and atonement are eternal and infinite, powerful enough to save humankind:

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22

…the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 4:10

Why Would God Sacrifice His Son?

If the motivation to sacrifice was not to satisfy God’s wrath through torturing and abusing Christ, as Divine Abuse teaches, then what motivated God to sacrifice Christ?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16), wrote John. When you sacrifice something significant, especially your own life, for someone else, it’s a profound statement of their importance to you. It says, “You are very important to me. I want to respect and protect you.” If someone offered to give you their kidney, you’d unmistakably understand their deep affection. This is the essence of what loving parents do—they prioritize their children’s well-being. Such a sacrifice speaks volumes about the value and love one holds for another. In other words, it is not because God loathes us but because He loves us that He gave his one and only Son. We are, indeed, worthy in God’s eyes, or else He wouldn’t give up His one and only Son.

Many, particularly non-Christians, find it difficult to grasp why God would sacrifice His Son. The common protestation might be: “I love my child so much that I could never sacrifice their life for anything.” Indeed, no amount of wealth—not even ten billion gold coins—could compel a loving parent to give up their child. For most, the idea of sacrificing one’s child contradicts every instinct and emotion; it’s unimaginable and a sacrifice too great.

Yet, this is precisely what God did. He sacrificed what was dearest to Him—His Son, Jesus—for everyone: thieves, murderers, those who rejected Him. This act indicates that God sees immense value in us, demonstrating that we are worth the ultimate sacrifice. Such a decision reflects a love of the greatest magnitude.

Conclusion

The Gospel is not about an angry God punishing His Son but about a Father showing the profound and tangible reality of His love by giving up His Son for us. Every parent can emotionally relate to this concept. Through Jesus, we realize our true worth and value in God’s eyes—such is the extent of God’s love for us. This contradicts any notion that we are unworthy. Instead, God’s action proves our immense worth!


This article is a copy-paste from my book, ‘The “Gospel” of Divine Abuse,’ available on this Amazon page.
free sample is available here.




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Dr. Eitan Bar
Author, Theologian, Activist