Salvation Not Purchased. Stephen Finlan
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“Stephen Finlan offers a lucid and thorough critique of the view that ‘Christ died for our sins’ is a central tenet of Christianity. He shows that neither Jesus himself, nor much of the New Testament, nor the Greek patristic tradition thought so. Sacrificial metaphors, used in diverse ways by the apostle Paul, had an afterlife in Christian theology, abetted by psychological and social needs. This will be a provocative and illuminating read for pastors and lay Christians alike.”
—Harold W. Attridge
Yale Divinity School
“Passionately rejecting those aspects of traditional atonement theory that implicitly turn God into a severe, sacrifice-demanding Father, and instead, pointing out the biblical evidence that reveals the original teaching of Jesus as emphasizing a generous and merciful loving God, Stephen Finlan’s remarkable slim volume, Salvation Not Purchased, must absolutely be read and reflected on by all who preach and presume to teach others how to preach the Christian doctrine of salvation.”
—Robert J. Daly, SJ
Boston College
“By putting—and keeping—Jesus square at the center, Stephen Finlan gives us an extraordinarily helpful treatment of atonement theology. Salvation Not Purchased is concise and accessible, but also rich in detail and analytically strong. Finlan starts with the right question—what do we learn from Jesus’s life and teaching about salvation?—and then shows how satisfaction atonement theology distorts the gospel. A book with strong ethical implications.”
—Ted Grimsrud
Eastern Mennonite University
“In this book, Stephen Finlan redeems the traditional theories of atonement and hell by ridding them of their manipulative ‘bad news’ gospel message that depends solely on the economic sacrifice of an innocent victim before God can or will forgive sin. Instead, by exploring the Bible in its original languages and contexts, Finlan offers readers a gospel message that is truly good news from beginning to end. He presents these significant and provocative ideas with a pastoral heart and extends to his readers practical suggestions for living out the good news for the glory of God and for the furtherance of the divine kingdom. Salvation Not Purchased is a beautifully written, accessible, practical, and theologically stimulating book, one that I plan on using with church groups and in my undergraduate college courses.”
—Sharon Baker Putt
Messiah College
“In Salvation Not Purchased, Steve Finlan continues to popularize his insightful research on Pauline atonement metaphors, making it accessible to a broader audience of ordinary Christians. In fact, one does not need to agree with his interpretation of animal sacrifice, nor with his type of incarnational Christology or his use of the gospels, in order to appreciate his zeal to correct and present alternatives to an entirely unhealthy Christian theology of penal substitution. Finlan’s small book is a biblical theology approach of sorts, a plea for a decent, biblically based, liberal theology of salvation through Christ, and an interesting reflection on the psychologically damaging consequences of a conservative atonement theology.”
—Thomas Kazen
Stockholm School of Theology
“Stephen Finlan takes the reader through Scripture and into the early church fathers and even some modern psychology to put to rest the historical misunderstanding of the metaphor responsible for thinking that Jesus must die for the Father to forgive the sins of humanity. Blood and sacrifice are powerful metaphors for the Jewish audience, but Jesus is the healer, co-creator, and goal of Christian life who reveals in his person the unbounded healing mercy of God. This book is a treasure for pastors preaching as for anyone interested in sound exegesis to dispel misguided notions of atonement and sin that have prevailed too long in Christian communities.”
—Terence McGoldrick
Providence College
Salvation Not Purchased
Overcoming the Ransom Idea to Rediscover the Original Gospel Teaching
Stephen Finlan
Salvation Not Purchased
Overcoming the Ransom Idea to Rediscover the Original Gospel Teaching
Copyright © 2020 Stephen Finlan. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
Cascade Books
An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3
Eugene, OR 97401
www.wipfandstock.com
paperback isbn: 978-1-7252-5582-1
hardcover isbn: 978-1-7252-5583-8
ebook isbn: 978-1-7252-5584-5
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Names: Finlan, Stephen, author.
Title: Salvation not purchased : overcoming the ransom idea to rediscover the original gospel teaching / Stephen Finlan.
Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: isbn 978-1-7252-5582-1 (paperback) | isbn 978-1-7252-5583-8 (hardcover) | isbn 978-1-7252-5584-5 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Atonement. | Jesus Christ—Crucifixion. | Salvation—Christianity.
Classification: BT751.3 .F50 2020 (paperback) | BT751.3 (ebook)
Manufactured in the U.S.A. 08/13/20
Preface
As a pastor, I am concerned about the truly harmful effect that certain Christian beliefs are having on believers. Specifically in the area of atonement (“Jesus died for your sins”), there are some unhealthy, untrue, and unbiblical notions that are causing distress and confusion among Christians. It is my pastoral concern that drives me to speak up about these troubling beliefs.
One such idea is the notion that salvation was “purchased with blood,” that we are saved only because Jesus bled and died for us. Now, this says something good about Jesus (that he died heroically for others), but it implies something horrible about God the Father who would require such a sacrificial “price” or “ransom.” This would place a huge gulf between a stern Father and a merciful Son, which deeply contradicts the Bible. Many Christians need to face the fact that they have accepted the notion of a spiteful and violent God, an idea that goes against Jesus’ own teachings. This concept teaches us to be afraid of God, uncertain about the afterlife, and judgmental toward others—in direct contrast to the spirit and the content of what Jesus taught.
Since this is a problem with beliefs—with ideas that some Christians have about God—I will investigate the development of these beliefs, but my real interest is spiritual. Belief is mental, having to do with concepts and doctrines held by the mind. Faith is spiritual and relational; it concerns one’s spiritual health, one’s relationship with God, and how one treats others. Since actual spiritual values and loyalties are more important than mental notions, it is fair to say that faith is deeper than belief.
But beliefs still matter! Unexamined beliefs can do damage to people’s faith, leaving people confused about what God is like, and making it hard to trust God. As a result of distorted beliefs, sometimes even conflicting beliefs, many believers become discouraged, and some even lose their faith, or at least lose confidence about their faith. Furthermore, as mentioned, our faith-relationship with God has a deep effect on our relationships with people. If we believe that God is vengeful and cruel, we might allow ourselves to be vengeful as well, and use our beliefs to justify our nastiness. Violent God-concepts do real and lasting harm, psychologically