—Karla Braun

BFL chair Brian Cooper is a car guy. And he knows that friction, while it causes the most wear and tear, is necessary for an engine to function. Without a little bit of heat, there is no movement.

This principle applies to discussions within the church: without some potentially heated sharing of convictions, we fail to do any useful work.

If heat is evidence of light, the second Bible study period produced some illumination. All table groups dug into the same passage, Romans 3:21-31, before Brian opened the floor to “hear what the Spirit says to (and through!) the churches.”

The sticking point became those in verse 25: various translations give the Greek word referring to the sacrificial death of Christ as “propitiation” (KJV, ESV, NASB, HCSB), “sacrifice of atonement” (NIV), and “expiation” (RSV), among others. Delegates were asked “just how does Christ’s sacrifice redeem us?”

Echoing the reminder shared by several voices at different times in the conference, one table reporter said the passage is about “the righteousness of God – not me and God, but I am made right with God and within the community of faith.” With the benefit of a Greek scholar at his table, he reported that “hilastērion,” used here in the context of sacrifice/atonement/satisfying God’s anger, is in the Old Testament used in the context of the mercy seat on the ark of covenant. “Christ is the new place where mercy happens,” he said. Sometimes it’s propitiation, sometimes expiation, but Christ is where mercy happens. Other than “through the blood of Jesus,” it doesn’t explain how.

Another table representative pushed back, suggesting that references to Old Testament images and blood contextualize this missionary text as talking about the wrath of God.

Is the chief problem of humans indeed wrath? At this point, the big theological words began to muddy the waters of discussion.

Brian invited the B.C. pastoral ministries council (analogous to boards of faith and life in other provinces) to share the items of consensus its listening committee determined at BCMB’s November 2010 discussion day on atonement.

• Jesus is our substitute – on that we all agree.
• There are roughly 8 positions potentially present, but most fall into one of three:
  • Penal substitutionary atonement as controlling motif that makes sense of others
  • Christus Victor as central organizing motif
  • Multiplicity of complementary images (diamond metaphor)
• We’re all trying to make sense of all of Scripture; we need to trust that is our motivation and allow for some latitude – not all people hold same position same way.
• Within our diversity is many areas of compatibility.

Last man standing at the mic as the time wound down, BCMB interim conference minister Merv Boschman brought the last word. “Let’s pray around our tables. God is the one who brings unity, when we gather in humility.”

There is light.