The Sacrifice of Love

1 John 2:1-6; 4:9-17

The Greek term hilasmos means atonement. It is when someone takes action to overcome a committed sin. The biblical themes of remorse, guilt, repentance, and reconciliation are at its heart.

Throughout the centuries, biblical scholars have interpreted the meaning of the death of Christ on the cross using different theologies. Three in particular have become predominant in large part through a writing by Gustaf Aulen called Christus Victor.

The first view could be called the cosmic battle. It is said that on the cross Christ defeated sin, death, and the devil. This view assumes that sin is a personified reality, as is death. The book of Revelation is used to describe the victory over the devil. Christ is like a prize fighter who defeats the enemy.

This is sometimes called the classic view, which predominated in early church literature. It pictures Christ in a fight, a contest (agon) against evil. In Revelation he is pictured as having eyes like hot coals and having a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth. He is ultimately victorious over Satan, portrayed as a dragon, and his host of demons.

The second interpretation was best formulated by the medieval theologian Anselm in Cur Deus Homo. It assumes a legal analogy. It says that since we sin, someone has to be punished to pay for the sin. It assumes a balance of payments in a way that is quite similar to the Hebrew Bible’s insistence that animals have to be sacrificed to pay for the sins of the people. Forgiveness cannot be simply proclaimed without someone suffering.

To whom is the payment made? If it is to the devil, one might ask why the devil needs to be satisfied. If the payment is to God and Jesus is the manifestation of God, then is it not God satisfying God?

The third theory was first offered by Abelard in response to Anselm. It is called the moral exemplary explanation. It says that Jesus sets an example for our lives. We are called to sacrifice, perhaps even die on behalf of others. Jesus is a model for our behavior. The ethic of self-sacrifice is at the core of the Christian lifestyle.

Fake news/fake theology

The term fake news assumes that someone is promoting fabrications about the political/economic scene. It stirs the emotions of those who accuse and those who are recipients of the venom. At stake is the question of truth. What is the criterion?

During the New Testament age there were a variety of theologies vying for the attention of the early Christians. The church was not a monolithic movement. Groups claiming very diverse perspectives insisted that their perspective was the true one.

Of the four Gospels, John, in particular, was probably written to counter fake theologies. These were perpetrated particularly in Syria, Egypt, and even Rome, where there was a large Jewish diaspora population.

Among the views was the belief that Jesus not fully human. This was sometimes called Docetism. This theology separated Jesus from the Christ. It says that Christ could enter or exit Jesus. When Jesus was on the cross, the Christ departed. That is why Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Sometimes this perspective assumed that the physical appearance of Jesus was a mirage. For instance, it said that, when he appeared to be on the cross, he was really off to the side, even laughing at the crucifixion. Some people held the view (found in the religion of Islam) that Simon of Cyrene was crucified instead. This North African who carried Jesus’ crossbar to Golgotha was said to look like Jesus.

The belief that the physical world is an illusion is not the biblical understanding of creation. Also, the belief that Jesus had no humanity denies the incarnation, which literally means God pouring Godself into human flesh. The gospel is stripped of its meaning.

Nag Hammadi

The umbrella label of Gnosticism included Docetism and many other cultic philosophies. In 1945 in Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, several Islamic brothers found a large, sealed jar in the desert landscape.

Afraid of the desert jinn (demons) they hesitated to look inside. But the eldest named Muhammed Al-Samman opened it with his shovel. Out of the jar flew gold dust. They had discovered papyrus manuscripts written during the early centuries of the Christian faith. Illiterate, the men took the bulk of the manuscripts to their mother, using some for making a fire to cook their dinner.

Gnosticism

These manuscripts (codices) contained 15 documents relating to the early church. Most of them are classified as Gnostic scriptures. The word “gnosis,” coined only in recent centuries, means “knowledge,” in the sense of special wisdom. The groups associated with Gnosticism stressed knowledge, sometimes secretive, rather than morality, as being central for mainline Christianity. Their writings were often esoteric, mysterious, and abounding in a labyrinth of symbolism. They often used familiar figures in the Christian faith to label their writings.

Gospels attributed to Philip, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and even Judas were discovered. Also, among the cache were other books of the Acts of various apostles, along with a variety of epistles (letters). They even found a copy of Plato’s Republic. None of these have been affirmed by mainline church authorities as scripture.

The Gnostic views of the cosmos varied, but usually included various levels of reality. The number of spheres in the heavens tended to range from 7 to 365. Usually, the belief predominated that the material world was fallen or even evil, not created by God but by a lesser being. Thus, physical life was disparaged. Extreme self-denial and sexual abstinence were sometimes advocated.

On the other hand, if matter is far from the heavenly realm, then anything goes. Some Gnostics advocated all kinds of free sexual license.

Gnosticism presented writings attributed to Seth and Norah (son and daughter of Adam and Eve), Shem (son of Noah), Baruch (secretary of Jeremiah), and a host of others. Some present a plethora of complex spiritual beings who rule the universe. Fake theology indeed.

Criteria of truth

So how do we decide what is legitimate and true, and what is false? The criteria of truth may be found in Gospels themselves. When Jesus is asked which of the 613 commandments is the centerpiece, he replies: “Love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” All the intricate legalese found in Exodus through Deuteronomy is filtered through the reality of love.

The Gospel and the letters attributed to John say emphatically that God is love. In the ethic of the Sermon on the Mount and the judgment scene in Matthew, love is the comprehensive ethic, no exceptions. Paul’s letter to Rome also parades this in chapter 12. He even composes a song about it in his first letter to Corinth (1 Corinthians 13).

Hillel and love

During the time of Christ there were generally two schools of thought that rivaled each other. The Shammai followers were quite strict, detailed, and legalistic. Shammai philosophy was reflected in the views attributed to the Pharisees who encountered Jesus.

Hillel, originally from Babylon, had a different emphasis. Brought up poor, he sometimes had to stand outside the synagogue to hear the rabbis teach. He nonetheless became a brilliant, revered scholar. Asked to quote all the laws of Judaism while standing upon one foot, he quickly replied by quoting the Golden Rule.

Christian theologian Adolf Harnack once wrote that the kernel of truth in the scriptures was the ethic of love; all else is like husk.