This paper argues that the anthropological extension of Christ’s human ontology strengthens the coherence of his penal substitutionary atonement (PSA). The traditional explanation of how the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ secures the redemption of his people by effectively paying the penalty for their sin presents a central truth of the gospel as a warranted theological conclusion from Scripture. Yet the traditional statement of the doctrine contains an inherent weakness: PSA is beset by an ontological asymmetry between the redeemer and the redeemed. This paper seeks to strengthen the doctrine at this point by considering the place of person on both sides of the atonement.
The first part of the paper briefly discusses the role of metaphysics in theology. Making theological conclusions from Scripture often requires extrabiblical language to understand and teach the biblical presentation of God and his creation, including certain ontological concepts and terms. In that sense, metaphysics is ministerial in both principle and practice. When applied to the atonement, this service means we should have an overarching concern that the mediation of Christ is supported by metaphysics, especially ontology, that helps demonstrate its coherence and significance.
The second part establishes that the traditional articulation of PSA relies on a body-soul correspondence. The tradition has a robust theological framework that connects Christology, anthropology, and soteriology. More specifically, the historical and contemporary treatment of PSA focuses on Christ having a body and soul like ours as the necessary ontological condition for a successful sacrifice on our behalf. The axiom here is that sin must be expiated and guilt propitiated in the same body-soul nature in which it was committed. In short, the human nature functions as an ontological linchpin in PSA.
The third part of the paper identifies an ontological asymmetry inherent in the doctrine. The PSA tradition rightly teaches that the divine *person* of the Son who became a man by assuming the soul and body of a human *nature* is the same person who bears the guilt and sin of his people. So there is a *person-nature* human being on the redeemer’s side of the atonement. On the sinner’s side, however, the tradition presents a *soul-body* human being. Thus, the atonement of Christ suffers from an ontological antinomy to the extent that the *person* of the Son corresponds with the *soul* of those he redeems.
The paper concludes by offering a particular Christological model of human being that strengthens ontological symmetry in the atonement. Beginning with the Chalcedonian Definition, a “Chalcedonian anthropology” defines human being in Christ by extending his person-nature ontology as *the* man to find its creaturely analogue in our person-nature ontology. This places a person-nature human being on both sides of the atonement, making a person-to-person correspondence between the one who sins and the one who bears that sin as a sacrificial substitute.
While it strengthens PSA, this paper should also contribute to the coherence of all doctrines at the intersection of Christology, anthropology, and soteriology.