Do we believe in a ransom? Did the Father pour his wrath on the Son? Is God literally wrathful? Did he turn his face away from the Son because of sin? These are all vital questions and unfortunately, there are too many diverse and irreconcilable answers out there. so which one is it?
Welcome to answers from an apostolic faith.
In the name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
Scripture is clear that Christ became sin for us. He did die for us, so of course there's a ransom. But what does that mean? Was God literally wrathful? Although some Christian traditions hold this concept to be true, Orthodox Christianity from the first century of Christendom rejected the idea. Although we certainly believe that the concept of God's wrath is real and that is quite clear in the early Church Fathers. But they also clearly stated that it is not to be taken literally. We ought to remember that Christian... the Christian faith was revealed by Christ to the early Church directly and they have written the New Testament through the Holy Spirit. They have lived the faith, kept it and preached it. The early Church also has understood that the Holy Spirit wrote Scripture, through humans and for humans. It is therefore written at the level of humans, meaning, God simplified certain things for our own comprehension and that sometimes means that these things cannot be understood literally. Here's only one quick quote from St. John Chrysostom on this concept:
''This blessed author [speaking here about Moses] spoke this way out of consideration for the way human beings speak... Sacred Scripture speaks in that way, showing consideration for the limitations of our hearing. » (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 3 on Genesis)
It is not uncommon that God stoops down to the human level. This point is fundamental to our discussion. For example, does God the Father have a literal physical face to turn away from the Son? Of course not: God is spirit. But there's a message there he wants to convey and he uses our own basic understanding to express it.
Now, regarding the wrath of God: in reality, there's nothing we could do that affects God negatively. God is not passionate; he is virtuous. So the Fathers clearly defined what this wrath means. Here's one quote from St. John Chrysostom once again:
''For even those who have sinned against Him He is not in the habit of visiting with punishment for His own sake; for no harm can traverse that Divine nature; but He acts with a view to our advantage, and to prevent our perverseness becoming worse by our
making a practice of despising and neglecting Him. Even so he who has become accustomed to despise that almighty power, does no injury to the power, but inflicts the greatest possible injury upon himself. And for this reason God threatens us with punishments, and often inflicts them, not as avenging Himself, but by way of attracting us to Himself.'' (St. John Chrysostom, Letters to Theodore, First Letter, Part 4)
So God in his Divine nature cannot get literally wrathful. Our sins do no injury to God. Consequently, there's no wrath to be poured on the Son. God does not need to be healed from his wrath to fulfill some sort of justice. By the same token, God the Father does not turn away his face from the Son, even on a conceptual level. St. Cyril, in the Glaphyra, more precisely in his commentary on Leviticus, says the following regarding the sin offering:
''For the death of the Son, who laid down his own life for the life of the world, was enacted before the eyes, as it were, of God the Father [before the eyes of God the Father]. If it is true when it says, ''Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints'', how could God the Father not count the death of the Son as worthy of being viewed by himself? For he does indeed altogether honor it and deem it worthy of his sight, while he turns away from what is loathsome and hateful. Therefore, that Christ's death was not ignominious [shameful] is directly shown by the fact that the Father chose to look upon it. He was slain at the very doors of the sanctuary. (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra (Fathers of the Church series), Leviticus, p.133)
The Father did not turn his face on the Son, but the Son himself, the Son himself chose to be sin for us. This is very different from the Father pouring his literal wrath on the Son and turning his face in the process. We are talking about two different gods here: one that is affected by the sins of humans and wants vengeance versus another who sees and acknowledges these sins and wants to righteously recreate humanity.
But what does it mean that the Father was pleased to bruise the Son, as it says in Isaiah 53? What does it mean that the crucified Son was a pleasing or a sweet-smelling aroma to the Father? St. Cyril of Alexandria answers both of those questions for us. He says the following in the Glaphyra:
''Christ, then, although he became sin, remained that which he was, that is to say, he continued to be holy as he was by nature God... Now, that the death of his flesh, which took place for the destruction of the flesh, was holy and pure, being well-pleasing to God the Father in a manner similar to incense offerings... Christ is a burnt offering, that is, one which is wholly and entirely, and not just partially, dedicated to God the Father as a pleasing aroma.'' (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra (Fathers of the Church series), Leviticus, p.136)
The Son of God willingly became sin, swallowed sin and remained pure. It was pleasing to God the Father because the sacrifice was holy and pure. So he ransomed us; he healed us.
Of course it is pleasing to the Father. It was also pleasing to the Father in a manner similar to incense, he says. Incense is sweet; it is something holy. But more importantly, there is an intercessory component to the idea of incense. Christ has done this for us: intercession. St. Cyril expounds on this, he says:
''Therefore, he is truly 'most holy'. For in him we have been sanctified, and he is our whole justification.'' (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Glaphyra (Fathers of the Church series), Leviticus, p.136)
So in him we have been sanctified; he is our advocate with the Father. Let us now understand Isaiah 53 in that light. In verse 12, Isaiah says the following:
'' 12 ...because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.'' (Isaiah 53:12)
So Christ poured his own soul to death willingly to make intercession for us, to ransom us. Also in verses 11 and 10 respectively, he says the following:
''11... My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.'' (Isaiah 53:11)
and
''10 ... it pleased the LORD to [q] bruise Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin...'' (Isaiah 53:10)
So Christ ransomed us because he became sin and remained holy. He swallowed death and corruption and lived, and gives us access to that life. Consequently, God the Father is pleased to bruise the Son. This is not that the Father is relieved because he gets to pour out his wrath; He is rather pleased because humanity is saved: humanity is recreated. Remember: the three persons of the Trinity always agree, and therefore, ultimately have one will. They are all pleased by the salvific act.
Therefore, the Father does not turn away his face from the Son; He's not disgusted by the Son, but rather, this is an expression to make us understand that Christ became sin while remaining holy. He conquered and we get to conquer in him, and therefore, the Father is pleased to make the Son suffer for our sakes.
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