In this groundbreaking book, Michael J. Gorman asks why there is no theory or model of the atonement called the “new-covenant” model. Gorman argues this understanding of the atonement was likely the earliest in the Christian tradition, dating back to Jesus himself. Gorman proposes that most models of the atonement over-emphasize the penultimate purposes of Jesus’ death and the “mechanics” of the atonement, rather than its ultimate purpose: to create a transformed, Spirit-filled people of God. The New Testament’s various atonement metaphors are part of a remarkably coherent picture of Jesus’ death as that which brings about the new covenant (and thus the new community) promised by the prophets, which is also the covenant of peace.
Written for both academics and church leaders, this book will challenge all who read it to rethink and rearticulate the meaning of Christ’s death.
