Jesus was victorious over sin, death, and the Devil!
Was He really? Of course.
The question, however, is not if Christ won the victory, but if that is the central theme of the atonement. That is what the Christus Victor theory is all about.
The “Christus Victor” theory emphasizes the victory of Christ that rescued mankind from the powers of evil. It was the whole life of Christ, culminating in His death, that won the victory. As Jesus worked miracles and displayed morality, He was chipping away at the power and influence of the Devil. Ultimately, He emerged the victor, allowing mankind to return to his place as the rightful viceroys of the earth.
Watch the video below to for details on the Christus Victor theory. In the meantime, I would argue that the victory of Christ is not the basis of the atonement, but a result of the atonement.
The primary weaknesses I see in the Christus Victor Theory:
- It only deals with the consequences of sin rather than sin itself.
Bondage to sin and the Devil is a consequence of sin. Removing us from this bondage does not fix the problem of how we got there in the first place, which is sin. On the other hand, Penal Substitution solves the problem of sin because Jesus took the actual debt that we owed.
- It disregards God’s justice
God’s justice requires our debt to be paid. Christus victor only releases us from bondage without payment of the debt.
