Jamie: So Jesus paid the fine, right? Legal debt cleared. I’m saved forever!
Moderator: That’s one model. But let’s ask the bigger question: Why did Jesus die — and what was being fixed?
Moderator: Let’s walk through the major models.
| View | Summary | Represented by |
|---|---|---|
| Ransom Theory | Jesus paid a price to free us | Origen, Gregory of Nyssa |
| Christus Victor | Jesus defeated death & evil | Athanasius |
| Satisfaction (Anselm) | God’s honor was offended; Jesus satisfied it | Anselm of Canterbury |
| Penal Substitution | Jesus took our punishment | John Calvin |
| Moral Influence | Jesus revealed divine love | Peter Abelard |
Jamie: So… how many ways can you die for somebody?
Moderator: Each of these models tells part of the story. But none capture the whole mystery.
Jamie: But once I’m saved… I’m good, right? I got the eternal security badge.
Moderator: Salvation isn’t a receipt. It’s a relationship.
Jamie: So I can’t just ‘pray the prayer’ and vanish into Netflix for 40 years?
Moderator: Faith grows, fails, returns, wrestles. Think covenant, not contract.
Moderator: In the West, sin became legal. In the East, sin remained medical.
Jamie: So the West says, ‘You broke the law.’ The East says, ‘You’re sick.’
Moderator: Exactly. Both need healing. One needs a pardon. The other, a Physician.
Jamie: So Jesus is either your defense attorney or your doctor.
Moderator: Or both. But either way, He comes to restore you. Not just justify you.
Jamie: So why did Jesus die, then?
Moderator: To do what no one else could: defeat death, heal the soul, and bring us back into communion with God.
Jamie: So not a courtroom...—
Moderator: …a homecoming.
Jamie: Maybe salvation is less about being right, and more about being made whole.
Moderator: Amen. The Cross is not a contract. It’s a cure.
*Jamie takes off the wig and puts on a warm scarf.*
Jamie: I think I’m ready for communion now.
Moderator: And that’s where healing begins.
Next time on The TheoLounge: “Religious Art”