A new take on atonement...kind of

[jfrog]

First of all I would like to say that I feel like I've read something similar to what I am about to say before, but I cannot place whether I really have or not.

I would like to being by examining the story of Abraham offering Isaac. I have a great deal of trouble with that story. God commands Abraham to go and do something that we all know would be very wrong (kill his own child). I had a thought today, a possible solution to how perplexing this story is, though I'm not sure it will be satisfactory to anyone who really has trouble with this story... heck I'm not even sure if its satisfactory for me. But the solution I thought of was this, what if Abraham knew God so well that he knew, not that he just believed but that he knew that God would move his hand and save his child. So Abraham in his love for God did as God told him and he went up to sacrifice his son. And then once Abraham had got to the point of no return God moved his hand and resurrected Isaac from the dead.

I'm sure most of you are saying, well Isaac never actually died so he couldn't have be resurrected and this is true. But you see, Isaac was going to die unless the hand of God had moved. Well when Abraham raised that knife and God's hand moved it gave Isaac a new life that he wouldn't have had otherwise. In a sense, it was a resurrection!

Well, I'm sure it touched God very much that there was a man out there who loved God so much that he would give his own son. In fact its almost like it touched God so much that years later when God had a son, Jesus Christ, that God offered his son up to show us how much he loved us just as Abraham had offered up Isaac to show God how much he loved him. And just like when God moved at the last moment and gave Abrahams son new life, God also moved at the last moment on his own son and resurrected him from the dead.

So in these stories we see the love of Abraham for God, the love of God for us and the love of Abraham for his son, and the love of God for his son, and the goodness of God in not letting death take either child who was offered up to show the love of the childs father for God in the case of Abraham or for Humanity in the case of God.

[Sam]

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV

[jfrog]

Originally Posted by Sam

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV

Ha! I knew there was something to my idea!

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by jfrog

First of all I would like to say that I feel like I've read something similar to what I am about to say before, but I cannot place whether I really have or not.

I would like to being by examining the story of Abraham offering Isaac. I have a great deal of trouble with that story. God commands Abraham to go and do something that we all know would be very wrong (kill his own child). I had a thought today, a possible solution to how perplexing this story is, though I'm not sure it will be satisfactory to anyone who really has trouble with this story... heck I'm not even sure if its satisfactory for me. But the solution I thought of was this, what if Abraham knew God so well that he knew, not that he just believed but that he knew that God would move his hand and save his child. So Abraham in his love for God did as God told him and he went up to sacrifice his son. And then once Abraham had got to the point of no return God moved his hand and resurrected Isaac from the dead.

I'm sure most of you are saying, well Isaac never actually died so he couldn't have be resurrected and this is true. But you see, Isaac was going to die unless the hand of God had moved. Well when Abraham raised that knife and God's hand moved it gave Isaac a new life that he wouldn't have had otherwise. In a sense, it was a resurrection!

Actually the NT says how it was a resurrection. Abraham figured he would actually kill Isaac, but due to God's promise that Isaac would be the beginning of many nations being blessed, Abraham knew God would have to resurrect Isaac.

Hebrews 11:17-19 KJV By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (18) Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: (19) Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

So the sense in which it was a resurrection was that Abraham actually thought the boy would die. But receiving the boy back from certain death was the manner Isaac resurrected in a figure.

Well, I'm sure it touched God very much that there was a man out there who loved God so much that he would give his own son. In fact its almost like it touched God so much that years later when God had a son, Jesus Christ, that God offered his son up to show us how much he loved us just as Abraham had offered up Isaac to show God how much he loved him. And just like when God moved at the last moment and gave Abrahams son new life, God also moved at the last moment on his own son and resurrected him from the dead.

So in these stories we see the love of Abraham for God, the love of God for us and the love of Abraham for his son, and the love of God for his son, and the goodness of God in not letting death take either child who was offered up to show the love of the childs father for God in the case of Abraham or for Humanity in the case of God.

I think this view is off slightly due to the words of Hebrews 11. generally, the overall idea of God's love is certainly involved, though.