Resurrection!

“A biblical theory of atonement does not stop at the cross, even if it views the incarnate life of Jesus and everything else through the piercing image of the cross. Several texts bring home the fundamental reality that, without the resurrection, atonement is incomplete. We need to begin with this: the point of the resurrection is more than hope for those who fear death, for those who are on the verge of death, or even for those who long to be reunited with loved ones. . .

“What then is resurrection all about? If the death of Christ wipes away sin, the resurrection of Christ makes all things new. Resurrection is about new creation. A theory of atonement that does not flow into the resurrection is an atonement that rids one of the sin problem but does not transform life and this world. Stopping that flow of life from God into God’s people is the abortion of full atonement. To extend my earlier image, many choose to leave the resurrection and Pentecost [golf] clubs at home when playing the atonement game. The bag is incomplete until both are carried.”—A Community Called Atonement, p. 70