Satisfaction Theory of Salvation.

We continue with the fundamental question of how through Christian history we understand the process through which salvation on the cross of Jesus means to humanity as a whole. In this section, I tackle what is known as “Satisfaction Theory.”

The underlying assumption in this theory is that the death of Christ provides the grounds for “satisfaction” as the basis by which God is enabled to forgive sin. In the third and fourth centuries, the understanding was that satisfaction was in relation to either the law or the devil. In the former, Humanity broke the divine law and God has to find a way to meet the demand. Another understanding was that the devil owned humanity as a captive and God has to meet his demands to pay the ransom.

The dominant trend, however, was attributed to the eleventh-century theologian Anselm of Canterbury. In his treatise Cur Deus Homo (Why God became Man?), Anselm argued that what humanity owed to God was the only debt that needed to be repaid. He contends that God created humanity in a state of original righteousness, with the objective of bringing humanity to a state of eternal blessedness. Anselm's theory relies heavily on the notions of inherited guilt and transferred guilt. Humanity inherited guilt from Adam and Eve.

Critics of this theory argue that it is a form of retributive justice. They contend that for God to forgive sin, he must either punish or demand justice.

Satisfaction theory brings its own problems. But at least, it lays the ground for a plausible explanation of how we as Christians understand the death of Jesus on the cross.