The Atonement as presented in Leon Morris' New Testament Theology
1. The
Atonement
of
Jesus Christ
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Christ on the Cross
by Carl Heinrich Bloch
2. THE ATONEMENT
AS PRESENTED IN
MORRIS’
NEW TESTAMENT
THEOLOGY
BY DARRIN KISSINGER
Presented to: Dr. Trevor Grizzle
GBIB 621, Theology of the New Testament
3. Dr. Leon Morris
Australian
Ph.D. from Cambridge University
Ordained in the Anglican Ministry
Took on Critical Scholarship, C.H.
Dodd
Focus was Jesus’ work on the cross
Adhered to a Biblical Framework
NIV translator, Tyndale House
Warden
Wrote 50 books, 2 million copies
4. The Atonement by Dr. Leon
Morris
Gospel of Matthew – The Passion
Gospel of Mark – “Son of Man” & “Cross”
Meaning
Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
Gospel of John – The Ideal Passover Sacrifice
Hebrews – Great High Priest, New Covenant,
& Sin
Second Peter – Jesus’ Righteousness &
Power
5. The Passion of Christ - Matthew 26:26-28 ESV – “Now as they were eating,
Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and
said, "Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given
thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.””
The Gospel of Matthew
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100 years or less.
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rg/wiki/File:Marten_de_Vos_-
_The_Last_Supper_-
_Google_Art_Project.jpg
The Last
Supper
By
Maerten de
Vos
6. Gospel of Matthew- The
Passion
The crucifixion & resurrection is 1/7 of the
Gospel.
Jesus repeatedly predicts his passion.
Matthew 9:15 ESV - "And Jesus said to them, "Can the
wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with
them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken
away from them, and then they will fast."
Matthew 12:40 ESV - "For just as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the
Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth."
Matthew 16:21 ESV - "From that time Jesus began to show
his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many
things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and on the third day be raised.”
7. Gospel of Matthew- The
Passion
Jesus obeyed His Father to His death.
Jesus death happened because of the will of God, not
because of what Caiaphas or Pilate did. Jesus prayed to
the Father three times as Matthew 26:39 ESV says, “And
going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying,
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.””
Jesus told Peter to put away his sword because as
Matthew 26:53-54 NLT says, “Don't you realize that I could
ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and
he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the
Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen
now?”
The “cup” was a metaphor for retributive punishment and
the cup of the wrath of God. This is a common saying in
8. Gospel of Matthew- The
Passion
Jesus Abandonment by the Father
Matthew 27:46 ESV - "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?””
Since Jesus suffered abandonment, Christians are never abandoned.
The death of Jesus was a cataclysmic event
Matthew 27:50-54 ESV – “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and
yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two,
from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The
tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen
asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they
went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those
who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and
what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son
of God!””
The New Covenant had arrived!
9. Mark 10:45 ESV - "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." – To free them from sin.
The Gospel of Mark
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ht_into_Egypt_(Nation
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The Rest on
the Flight into
Egypt
By Gerald
Davis
10. Gospel of Mark – The Meaning of the Cross
God places the judgement on the Good
Shepherd.
Mark 14:27 NLT – “On the way, Jesus told them, “All of
you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike
the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’””
This quotation of Zechariah 13:7 makes it an act of God
Himself.
The cry of dereliction is the only one Mark records. Mark
15:34 NLT - "Then at three o'clock Jesus called out with a
loud voice, ["Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"] which means
"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?””
Jesus could be reciting Psalm 22 and commending Himself
to God. Or perhaps the close fellowship Jesus had with his
Father was broken.
God, through Jesus and our belief in Jesus, restored the
11. Acts 17:34 ESV - "But some men joined him (Paul) and believed, among
whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite & a woman named Damaris
and others with them."
The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles
Michaelangelo’s
depiction of
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_-
_Raphael,_St_Paul_P
reaching_in_Athens_(
1515).jpg
St. Paul
Preaching
in Athens
By
Raphael
12. Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
The Cross and Jerusalem is a repeated
theme.
Luke 9:51 NLT – “As the time drew near for him to
ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for
Jerusalem (also 13:22, 17:11, 18:31, 19:28).”
Jerusalem is mentioned 37 times and is Luke’s
city of destiny.
Luke has lots of detail in the Passion story.
Upper Room, Peter being sifted like wheat, Jesus’
healing of the wounded ear, and thief on the
Cross, etc.
13. Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
Jesus dying words in Luke 23:34a, 46 NLT, “Jesus
said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know
what they are doing."... Then Jesus shouted,
"Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And
with those words he breathed his last.”
God responded by raising Jesus. Jesus did not
raise Himself.
Acts 2:32 NLT – “Peter preached on Pentecost, "God
raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses
of this” (see also 3:15, 3:26, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40, 13:30-
37, 17:31).”
14. Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
Looking back to the Cross, Luke sees Jesus as the
“Servant of the Lord” in Acts.
Acts 3:13-15 NLT – “For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob--the God of all our ancestors--who has brought
glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same
Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate,
despite Pilate's decision to release him. You rejected this
holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of
a murderer. You killed the author of life, but God raised him
from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!
(emphasis mine) (see also 3:26, 4:27, 4:30).”
References to the Righteous One remind us of the
Righteous servant from Isaiah 53:11 NLT – “When he sees
all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience, my righteous servant will
make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he
15. Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
The Substitutionary Death of Jesus
Luke 22:37 NLT – “For the time has come for this
prophecy about me to be fulfilled: 'He was
counted among the rebels.' Yes, everything
written about me by the prophets will come true.”
Isaiah 53:12 NLT – “I will give him the honors of a
victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to
death. He was counted among the rebels. He
bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.”
Jesus applied Isaiah 53, which speaks of atoning
substitutionary sufferings, to Himself.
16. Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
The Substitutionary Death of Jesus
Luke is the only Gospel where Jesus says His body is
“given” for His followers and His blood is confirmation
of the “new” covenant in the best manuscripts.
At the Last Supper, in Luke 22:19 NLT, Jesus “…took
some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he
broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying,
“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to
remember me. After supper he took another cup of
wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant
between God and his people--an agreement
confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a
sacrifice for you (emphasis mine).””
17. Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our
God
Jesus bore our curse.
Luke shows us that although Jews thought Jesus
could not be the Messiah, because He died in a way
that showed He was under God’s curse, Luke shows
us that Jesus bore our curse.
Acts 10:39 ESV – “Peter told Cornelius, “And we are
witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the
Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by
hanging him on a tree, (emphasis mine) (see also
5:30, 13:29)””
Deuteronomy 21:22-23 ESV – “And if a man has
committed a crime punishable by death and he is put
to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall
not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him
the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.
You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God
is giving you for an inheritance.”
18. John 1:29 NLT – “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and
said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!””
The Gospel of John
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Bibel in
Bildern by
Schnorr von
Carolsfeld
19. The Gospel of John - Truth
John emphasizes truth
John uses the Greek word “to believe” “pisteuein” 98 times.
John 12:24 NLT – “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is
planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will
produce many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives.”
John 14:6 NLT – “Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one can come to the Father except through
me.””
John 17:17-20 NLT – “Make them holy by your truth; teach
them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into
the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give
myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be
made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these
disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through
their message (emphasis mine).”
20. Hebrews 10:19 NLT - And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly
enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews
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_The_Holy_of_Holies.jp
g
The Holy of
Holies by the
illustrators of the
1890 Holman
Bible
21. Hebrews – Great High Priest, New Covenant & Dealing
with Sin
Jesus is the Great High Priest Who Offered Himself
Hebrews 9:11-12 NLT – “So Christ has now become
the High Priest over all the good things that have
come. He has entered that greater, more perfect
Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human
hands and is not part of this created world. With his
own blood--not the blood of goats and calves--he
entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and
secured our redemption forever.…”
Hebrews 10:10, 12, 14 NLT – “For God's will was for
us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of
Jesus Christ, once for all time. ... But our High Priest
offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins,
good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of
honor at God's right hand. ... For by that one offering
he forever made perfect those who are being made
22. Hebrews – Great High Priest, New Covenant & Dealing
with Sin
Jesus is the mediator of the new and everlasting
covenant.
17 out of 33 occurrences of “covenant” in the NT occur in
Hebrews.
Hebrews 9:14-15 NKJV – “how much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is
the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for
the redemption of the transgressions under the first
covenant, that those who are called may receive the
promise of the eternal inheritance.”
Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV – “Now may the God of peace who
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great
shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal
covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do
his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
23. Hebrews – Great High Priest, New Covenant & Dealing
with Sin
The death of Christ has removed sin.
Hebrews 9:26b-28a ESV – “…he has appeared once
for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man
to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ,
having been offered once to bear the sins of
many…(see also 1:3, 2:17, 9:15, 10:12, 10:26).”
Hebrews 8:12 ESV – “For I will be merciful toward
their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no
more.”
Hebrews 10:17 ESV – “then he adds, "I will
remember their sins and their lawless deeds no
more.””
24. Second Peter – Jesus’ Righteousness & Power
Salvation through Jesus’ righteous. Holiness
through Jesus’ power.
2 Peter 1:1, 3-4 ESV – “Simeon Peter, a servant and
apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained
a faith of equal standing with ours by the
righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ: ... His divine power has granted to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and
excellence, by which he has granted to us his
precious and very great promises, so that through
them you may become partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped from the corruption that is
in the world because of sinful desire (emphasis
mine).”
25. The Atonement by Dr. Leon
Morris
Gospel of Matthew – The Passion
Matthew looked toward the Cross with Jesus’ Passion predictions. Jesus obeyed the Father,
and drank the cup of wrath. Jesus was abandoned at the cataclysmic Cross, which instituted
the New Covenant.
Gospel of Mark – “Son of Man” & “Cross” Meaning
Jesus was fully human. Fulfilling scripture, God struck the Shepherd. Jesus was abandoned
at the Cross although He also could have been reciting Psalm 22 and commending Himself
to God. God reconciled Himself to us through the Cross.
Gospel of Luke & Acts – The Salvation of Our God
Luke moves people toward salvation, first by looking toward the Cross and Jerusalem. Luke
records that Jesus entrusted His Spirit to the Father’s hands. God raised Jesus from the
dead. Jesus fulfilled the Suffering Servant Prophecy of Isaiah 53 and applied it to Himself.
Jesus said He “gave” His body to His followers, and instituted the New Covenant on the
Cross. Jesus bore our curse by being a curse for us.
Gospel of John – The Ideal Passover Sacrifice
Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. John emphasized truth, that
Jesus told the truth, that Jesus was the Truth, and the Truth sets us free. The Cross means
Jesus is victorious!
Hebrews – Great High Priest, New Covenant, & Sin
Jesus is the Great High Priest who offered Himself once for all time, becoming the Mediator
of the New and Eternal Covenant, removing sin.
Second Peter – Jesus’ Righteousness & Power
We are saved through Jesus’ righteousness and our belief in it. Jesus gives us the power to
avoid sin and live victoriously.
26. Conclusion
Morris points out the atonement and a person’s
salvation, as a result of their belief in Jesus,
should result in a victorious Christian life
(throughout the text especially Romans 5:17, 6:2-
22, Galatians 5:24, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Romans
8:37 (68, 69), and 2 Peter 1:3-4 (322, 323)). Jesus
meant for Christians to have powerful, effective
lives which bring about His Kingdom, for His glory.
Through the cross, Jesus reconciled everyone
who believes in Him to the Father, ransomed
believers from spiritual death, and mediated a
New Covenant. Through the cross, Jesus fulfilled
the law, nailed sinful passions to the cross,
defeated the enemy, and overcame the world.
Because of the cross, believers have the fruit of
the Spirit, have the power of God, reign in life, and
