Theological Term of the Week

recapitulation theory of the atonement
The view, first emphasised by Iranaeus, that Christ came to the earth to reverse the curse of Adam by living the perfect human life, remaining obedient through all the phases of human life, succeeding where Adam failed, and thereby restoring those united with him to the state in which Adam existed before the fall.

• From Irenaeus, quoted from The Christian Theology Reader by Alister McGrath: 

  But when [Christ] was incarnate and became a human being, he recapitulated in himself the long history of the human race, obtaining salvation for us, so that we might regain in Jesus Christ what we had lost in Adam, that is, being in the image and likeness of God. 

• From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof:  

  Irenaeus, who also expresses the idea that the death of Christ satisfied the justice of God and thus liberated man, nevertheless gave prominence to the recapitulation theory, that is, to the idea, as Orr expresses it, “that Christ recapitulates in Himself all the stages of human life, including those which belong to our state as sinners.” By His incarnation and human life He reverses the course on which Adam by his sin started humanity and thus becomes a new leaven in the life of mankind. He communicates immortality to those who are united to Him by faith and effects an ethical transformation in their lives and by His obedience compensates for the disobedience of Adam.

Learn more:

1. Got Questions.org: What are the various theories on the atonement?
2. Frank Griffith: The Nature of the Atonement (pdf)
3. Reclaiming the Mind Ministries: What is the recapitulation theory of the atonement? (video)

Related terms:

• penal substitution
• Christus Victor
• governmental theory of the atonement
• moral influence theory of the atonement
• ransom to Satan theory of the atonement

1From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof

Filed under Defective Theology.

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Status Report: July

Sitting…in my living room, watching Bill O’Reilly. That is, I’m fast-forwarding through it because it’s all about Casey Anthony and I’m completely sick of the story, so I refuse to watch anything more on it. I will say this: There’s something to be said for publication bans on news about high profile cases until after the case is over.It preserves a pool of unbiased possible jurors who are more representative of the general population, and by that I mean potential jurors who haven’t just crawled out from under a rock yesterday.

Ready…for a couple of quiet days without visitors or appointments or dogs with digestive problems and special diets.

Choosing…to just go with the flow and enjoy whatever the days bring. Except for the doggy digestive problems. There’s no way to enjoy those.

Looking forward…to a road trip. The first really big road trip in several years. I can’t wait. 

Anticipating…being a Grandma. 

Planning…to make a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam with the rhubarb I just picked. 

Reading…How to Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish. My opinion? It’s a book that starts with a bang and fizzles as it moves forward. Yep, the first chapter was the best. I am going to finish it, though; I am going to finish…

Also reading…40 Questions About the Law by Tom Schreiner. It’s slow going because it requires concentration while reading. In other words, it’s not bedtime reading and bedtime reading is about all the reading I’ve been able to do lately. 

Enjoyed…a few hours of work the backyard and garden this afternoon. It was sunny, but not too hot, and the dogs were content to just rest on the grass and watch me. Perfect…except for the mosquitoes.

Thinking…about music in the church. The music in my church is changing and it’s making it less enjoyable for me to participate. There are so many songs I don’t know and quite a few songs that are, frankly, not singable for a congregation. And sometimes the music is so loud that it’s actually painful for me and I’ve caught myself involuntarily cringing. I love the people in my church—I love my church—but the first half of the service is often an endurance session. How can I stop dreading the first half of the service? And how important is this, anyway?

Reflecting…on time. History. Life. Generations growing old, new ones coming after. Old roles given up and new roles taken on. And God who is sovereign over it all, carrying things along according to his plan, giving and taking away, always faithful, with mercies that never come to an end.

Copying…Lisa

Round the Sphere Again: Three Points x 2

On Redemptive History
from Jonathan Edwards.  

1. All of history is redemptive history.
2. This great work is carried on through the application of redemption to individuals throughout history.
3. God has been steadily saving a people through one great plan worked out in successive eras of history.

Read the whole piece by Joe Rigney at Desiring God Blog.

On OT Sacrifices
from Hebrews 10. 

1. The OT sacrifices shadowed good things to come.
2. The OT sacrifices never saved anyone.
3. The OT sacrifices reminded of sin.

Read the whole piece by David Murray at Head Heart Hand.