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The writing and correspondence of Hastings Rashdall: The early years - to 1905

HastingsRashdall.org.uk

Sermon preached at St Mary's, Oxford in 1892 on the Abelardian Doctrine of the Atonement

Extracts:

But it may be asked, “To whom is the ransom paid?” That, however, is a question to which no answer need be, and (as I venture to think) no answer ought to be, given. The idea of a ransom paid to the devil and the idea of a ransom paid to God are alike entirely foreign to the context The idea is not that of a debt undertaken, still less of a punishment submitted to instead of us, but of a ransom paid to win us back from slavery or captivity. Christ's death was the price, the cost of that deliverance; the ransom paid is the equivalent, not of our sins, but of us.

The whole sermon may be downloaded here - in .pdf format

“To us it appears,” [Abelard] says, “that our justification and reconciliation to God in the blood of Christ lies in this, that through the singular favour exhibited to us in the taking of our nature by His Son, and His perseverance even unto death in instructing us alike by word and by example, God bound us to Himself more fully than before by love; so that, kindled by so great a beneficence of divine favour, true charity fears no longer to endure anything for His sake. . . . Accordingly our redemption lies in that supreme love working in us through the passion of Christ, which not only liberates us from the slavery of sin, but acquires for us the true liberty of the sons of God; so that henceforth we fulfil all duties rather from love than from fear of Him who showed to us so great favour than which none greater can be discovered; as He Himself testifieth, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.' Concerning this love, indeed, the Lord says in another place, 'I came to send fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?' For the propagation of this true liberty, therefore, it is that He declares Himself to have come.”

Back to "Explore the writings of Rashdall - The Early Years to 1905"

Three points may be noticed in this Abelardian view of the Atonement :–
    (1) There is no notion of vicarious punishment, and equally little of any vicarious expiation or satisfaction, or objectively valid sacrifice12 , an idea which is indeed free from some of the coarse immorality of the idea of vicarious punishment, but is in principle somewhat difficult to distinguish from it.
    (2) The atoning efficacy of Christ's work is not limited to His death. Christ's redeeming work is not on the one hand confined (in Socinian fashion) to teaching or even example, though it includes both; His love to man reveals in a unique way the love of the Heavenly Father, because He is in a unique sense the Son of God. But neither, on the other hand, is His atoning work limited to the crucifixion. The whole life of Christ, the whole revelation of God which is constituted by that life, excites the love of man, moves his gratitude, shows him what God would have him be, enables him to be in his imperfect way what Christ alone was perfectly, and so makes at-one-ment, restores between God and man the union which sin alone has destroyed.
    And (3) it follows from this view of the Atonement that the justifying effect of Christ's work is a real effect, not a mere legal fiction. Christ's work really does make men better, instead of merely supplying the ground why they should be considered good or be excused the punishment of sin, without being really made any better than they were before

The writing and correspondence of Hastings Rashdall: The early years - to 1905		HastingsRashdall.org.uk
Sermon preached at St Mary's, Oxford in 1892 on the Abelardian Doctrine of the Atonement
Extracts:
But it may be asked, “To whom is the ransom paid?” That, however, is a question to which no answer need be, and (as I venture to think) no answer ought to be, given. The idea of a ransom paid to the devil and the idea of a ransom paid to God are alike entirely foreign to the context The idea is not that of a debt undertaken, still less of a punishment submitted to instead of us, but of a ransom paid to win us back from slavery or captivity. Christ's death was the price, the cost of that deliverance; the ransom paid is the equivalent, not of our sins, but of us.		The whole sermon may be downloaded here - in .pdf format
	“To us it appears,” [Abelard] says, “that our justification and reconciliation to God in the blood of Christ lies in this, that through the singular favour exhibited to us in the taking of our nature by His Son, and His perseverance even unto death in instructing us alike by word and by example, God bound us to Himself more fully than before by love; so that, kindled by so great a beneficence of divine favour, true charity fears no longer to endure anything for His sake. . . . Accordingly our redemption lies in that supreme love working in us through the passion of Christ, which not only liberates us from the slavery of sin, but acquires for us the true liberty of the sons of God; so that henceforth we fulfil all duties rather from love than from fear of Him who showed to us so great favour than which none greater can be discovered; as He Himself testifieth, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.' Concerning this love, indeed, the Lord says in another place, 'I came to send fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?' For the propagation of this true liberty, therefore, it is that He declares Himself to have come.”
Back to "Explore the writings of Rashdall - The Early Years to 1905"	Three points may be noticed in this Abelardian view of the Atonement :– (1) There is no notion of vicarious punishment, and equally little of any vicarious expiation or satisfaction, or objectively valid sacrifice12 , an idea which is indeed free from some of the coarse immorality of the idea of vicarious punishment, but is in principle somewhat difficult to distinguish from it. (2) The atoning efficacy of Christ's work is not limited to His death. Christ's redeeming work is not on the one hand confined (in Socinian fashion) to teaching or even example, though it includes both; His love to man reveals in a unique way the love of the Heavenly Father, because He is in a unique sense the Son of God. But neither, on the other hand, is His atoning work limited to the crucifixion. The whole life of Christ, the whole revelation of God which is constituted by that life, excites the love of man, moves his gratitude, shows him what God would have him be, enables him to be in his imperfect way what Christ alone was perfectly, and so makes at-one-ment, restores between God and man the union which sin alone has destroyed. And (3) it follows from this view of the Atonement that the justifying effect of Christ's work is a real effect, not a mere legal fiction. Christ's work really does make men better, instead of merely supplying the ground why they should be considered good or be excused the punishment of sin, without being really made any better than they were before