God’s Pleasure
Reflecting on Colossians 1:19-20, NT Wright notes that the incarnation and cross were not “undertaken with reluctance or merely because there was no other course. God not only acted in this way: he ‘took pleasure’ in doing so.”
Much popular atonement theology suggests otherwise: The conflict between God’s mercy and justice puts Him in a tight spot, which He resolves by sending His Son to receive the penalty for us. Jesus is God-as-substitute for sinners, but our formulations often suggest that God was forced into the atonement.
As Barth liked to emphasize, God remains Lord even in His revelation, the incarnation. Even - especially - here, He acts according to His good pleasure.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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