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Ever since the risen Jesus asked this question of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, thoughtful Christians have been attempting to answer it. This question is an important one for all Christians. It is important not only because our Lord Himself raised it but also because He took the time to answer it.

This question of Jesus raises the central problem of Christian theology – the problem of the atonement: why must Christ die for the salvation of men? This problem of the necessity of the atonement is the major problem of the Christian doctrine of salvation. Here we will examine this central problem of Christian theology.

1.  First, the history of the problem will be analyzed to determine the major historical solutions. The classic type of the atonement will be examined in the theology of Athanasius and the differences between the classic type and the Latin type will be clarified.   Click here for a summary of the classic solution.
Then the differences between the classic type and the ransom theory of the atonement will be examined.

2.  Then it will be shown how in the Latin type the meaning of the death of Christ has been misunderstood and obscured in Christian theology by the Greek-Roman concept of justice: giving to each what he has merited. It was this concept of justice that gave Martin Luther so much trouble and lead to his rediscovery of the meaning of the righteousness of God in Paul’s letter to the Romans. This concept of justice, which has misunderstood and obscured the meaning of the righteousness of God as well as the love of God, has lead to the legalistic misunderstanding of the death of Christ.

3.  Next, the Biblical doctrine of Christ’s death will be presented to show how it solves the problem of the necessity of the atonement, Why Christ died. Christ died so that God could raise Him from the dead, and thus save man from death, sin and wrath. Christ’s death and resurrection provided salvation from death to life, from sin to righteousness, and from wrath to peace with God.  These three aspects of salvation has been accomplished in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Finally, in conclusion the Biblical doctrine of Christ’s death will be summarized to show how it solves the problem of the necessity of the atonement, and what is the practical consequents of the Biblical solution.