Who killed Jesus? An atonement theory for the New Humanity: New Humanity Part 10

Eph 2:15 NRSV  "He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one "new humanity" in place of the two, thus making peace,"

I try to keep the cross in mind every day, but this is a time of the year when everyone seems to reflect on its meaning. Therefore, I have been inspired to write the atonement theory that I have settled on. Of course there are several atonement theories to choose from and even more variations of them. I would like to mention three: Penal Substitution, Ransom Theory, and Christus Victor. Here is a ever so brief description of the three. The penal substitution theory is based on the need for God's justice to have punishment for sin and thus Jesus had to die in our place to satisfy God's justice. The ransom theory posits that Adam and Eve gave creation and themselves to Satan in the Garden and Jesus had to pay the ransom to free humanity from its barging with the devil. The Christus Victor theory explains that Jesus entered death and hell and overcame them and Satan when God raised him from the tomb. Of the other theories, I reject the moral example and moral influence theory as they do not adequately deal with the death, burial and resurrection and miss the transaction that took place with the cross event.

So what should the "new humanity" make of these? I think that there is likely a synthesis of two of these three; the penal substitutional and the Christus Victor theory. but let me clarify the penal substitution aspect. I reject the premise that God's justice demanded someone die and that he poured his wrath out on Jesus. This aspect of the atonement did not appease God. It was not God that needed Jesus to die for punishment of sin. It was humanity. The human conscience, Freud called it the superego, develops a sense of guilt as it progresses in human growth in early childhood. Therefore, there is an innate sense of guilt in all of humanity. This guilt promotes a sense of fear, and dread for the unknown aspects of death and beyond. The writer of Hebrews addresses this very matter. Heb 9:14 NRSV  "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!" Here is the bottom line... Jesus words in Matthew twenty six explain humanities need. Mat 26:28 NRSV "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." It was not poured out for the Father's benefit. It was shed to cleanse our consciences. In other words, it is humanity that believes that a price must be paid to satisfy humanity missing the mark. In this way, Jesus' own sacrifice of himself puts that problem to rest.

Now for the Christus Victor aspect of the atonement. It actually describes all facets of the atonement because Jesus was victorious over all. What then did the atonement accomplish? The answer is a lot and here is a numerical list: 

1. It reconciled humanity to the Father. Father, knowing the need of the human conscience provided the Son, his Word, to enter humanity to fulfill this reconciliation, and in this way, the Father too entered humanity, and suffered with Jesus on the cross. The reconciliation brought peace with the Father to humankind because of being justified by the faith/faithfulness of Jesus. Jesus was totally convinced in the Love of the Father and realized that dying so that the Father could raise him from the dead was the only perfect solution.
2. It overcame death and hell. By hell, I mean Sheol, the grave and not the elaborate hades that would ultimately be crafted into Dante's Inferno. Heb 2:14-15 NRSV  "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,  (15)  and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death." The defeat of Satan happened on the cross, in the grave, and through the resurrection. 
3. It instated the New Covenant awaiting the consummation when the Old Covenant system would be destroyed and done away with. Jesus quoted Hosea chapter six when he said that the Jews should go learn what is meant by I desire mercy and not sacrifice and burnt offerings. It was a system born out of an age of inferior understanding that was simply a metaphor for what the New Covenant would establish.
4. It provided the means for humanity to have the continuous indwelling of the Holy Spirt, the Spirit of Christ. While it is also the Spirit of the Father, its function is to testify of the risen Jesus, the redemption he brought and to be a catalyst for supernatural agape love that results from our awareness of the extreme length that God was willing to go to redeem humanity from the power of sin and death.
5. It provided justification for all humanity. Rom 5:18 NRSV "Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all." I laugh at the linguistic gymnastics that many go through within the ranks of evangelical Christianity to prove that Paul did not mean all when all is written. Of course, all does mean all in this case and the atonement achieved justification and life. John in his gospel wrote that in Jesus was life and the life was the light of humanity, but they did not comprehend it.

The atonement reaps two results. One is victory over death and Satan, and the other is reconciliation with the Father from the consequences of acquiring the knowledge of good and evil. The knowledge of good and evil is the source of humanity's ability to judge and likewise the source of humanity's innate guilt. That aspect of the human condition is what demands a penal substitution of sorts. Again, not to satisfy God but to satisfy humanities conscience. Col 2:13-15 NRSV "And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,  (14)  erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  (15)  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it." There you have it, Christ was/is victorious and in that has made humanity victorious as well.

So who killed Jesus? No one. He willingly submitted to death by crucifixion to accomplish all that I have stated above. Who benefited from His death, burial and resurrection? I did, how about you?