Christ overcame hells and restored order; not penal substitution
Swedenborg rejected the penal substitution theory of atonement (that Christ's death paid a legal penalty for human sin) as contrary to divine justice and mercy. Instead, Swedenborg taught that the atonement was Christ's victory over the hells—the negative spiritual forces opposing God—and the restoration of the spiritual order disrupted by evil.
Through His incarnate life, temptations, and glorification, Jesus Christ defeated hellish influences and re-established the connection between the spiritual and natural worlds. His atonement is an act of divine power and love, not a forensic transaction. The benefit of the atonement flows to humanity as the spiritual paths to God are cleared and the operation of grace is facilitated.
Key Distinctions
- Primary theory:
- glorification — Christ overcame the hells through temptation and made his human divine; not penal substitution
- Scope of atonement:
- universal — God wills all to be saved
- Propitiation affirmed:
- no — God's love never needed to be appeased
Scripture References
Sources
- Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christianity