Substitutionary Atonement: the Ultimate Act of Love

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We should avoid claiming to understand all the ramifications of the substitutionary atonement.  The bodily death of Jesus Christ on a cross may be impacting a multitude of issues far beyond our unders...
We should avoid claiming to understand all the ramifications of the substitutionary atonement.  The bodily death of Jesus Christ on a cross may be impacting a multitude of issues far beyond our understanding.  But what do we know for sure? At some point in time, God entrusted Satan and other powerful angels with the stewardship of all creation (Luke 4:5-7).  They betrayed God’s trust and began to turn what God created as good into an inherently violent and terrifying system dominated by decay, destruction, disease, suffering and death.  Although God could have simply restored and repossessed His corrupted creation, His purity of wisdom, holiness, justice and truth demanded a punishment for every crime, every evil and every sin.  Only one punishment, the substitutionary atonement, was great enough to redeem all creation from the bondage of evil and redeem all mankind from the bondage of sin. One of the core beliefs of Christianity can be stated as follows: Each person who responds to God’s grace and the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ by confession of sin, remorse, repentance, faith and obedience receives the great gift of salvation.  Each person who resists God’s grace is condemned to everlasting punishment.
(U) The salvation of man, which comes by the substitutionary atonement, has many facets including but not limited to: At the instant of your salvation, you are redeemed or bought-back or set free from the bondage of sin.  Salvation causes us to be regenerated or born again from the death grip of sin to a life of pursuing righteousness.  We can, thereby, stand beside Jesus as He battles to purge evil from His creation.  However, salvation may set us free from the bondage of sin but it does not set us free from the influence of sin itself.  Satan knows that our concupiscence, bad judgement, inconsistent will and weariness can ensnare us in the vice-grip of evil even after salvation.  But for the first time in our lives, we can, by the power of the Holy Spirit, say “no” to Satan and to our own sin nature.  We can be set free from the bondage of sin but not, in this life, from its influence.  Redemption from the bondage of sin is aimed at your soul.  But another aspect of redemption is aimed at God’s physical creation, the universe including planet earth and all that lies within. By the substitutionary atonement, God redeemed or bought-back all creation from the evil bondage of Satan, who now no longer owns it (Luke 4:5-7).  But Satan was not a willing seller and will never acknowledge the legitimacy of the sale.  He believes his property was stolen from him by a phony purchase.  He is battling God to retain possession.  Creation may be legally free from the bondage of evil but it is not free from the influence of evil itself through Satan and his minions who will never relinquish possession without a fight.  Satan, who holds the power of death (Heb 2:14) and is the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30-31; 16:8-11), exercises a pervasive, structural and diabolical influence which caused all creation to be engulfed by the bondage of evil.  That which God created as good began to exhibit a pain-ridden, bloodthirsty, sinister and hostile demeanor.  “Mother Nature,” became an inherently violent and terrifying system dominated by disease, suffering and death – a system red in tooth and claw.  Not wanting free will to be an illusion, God is permitting, for a time and within limits, certain consequences of rebellion and corruption caused by both fallen angels and the humans who join them.  When restoration and repossession are complete, nature will be violent no more.  Some say the earth and Mother Nature need no redemption.  They are operating just like God intended.  If so, why will they be completely changed when Jesus Christ restores and repossesses His creation (Isa 11:6-9, 65:17-25; Rom 8:20-22; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1-4)?  Some say the substitutionary atonement offers redemption from the bondage of sin to all persons but it does not redeem the earth and Mother Nature from the bondage of evil.  If so, the scope and power of the substitutionary atonement must be substantially limited.  What might be required, a second substitutionary atonement perhaps?  Not logical.
The human body is part of God’s physical creation and was, long ago, imprisoned in corruption by the architect of evil who administers decay, violence, disease, suffering and death.  Your body has been redeemed from the bondage of evil but not from the influence of evil itself – set free from bondage but not from influence.  This influence can only be overcome by prayer (healing). These are some things set in motion by the substitutionary atonement.  Others may be hidden in realms beyond our comprehension.
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