That is interesting.
I guess that is why we have context (immediate and surrounding), one tool to help us on that venture?
I wouldn’t quite use that term, but it is close to what I am trying to convey. I get that definition of wrath from the character of God based on other verses of the Bible and mostly Jesus’ teachings. I think God greatly desires our repentance, He wants us changed. It seems in the OT, God used wrath or tough love more than the NT. But there are a few of verses/passages in the OT where there was mercy over wrath, I think to show us the difference between the two and foreshadow Jesus, who was the embodiment of mercy over wrath, that kindness and love is the only thing that can conquer hate. That Jesus’ love for us is what was used to conquer the powers of darkness, by living His life for us (more importantly for God, as that is what God wanted) up unto the point of death, putting our well being before his own.
George Macdonald (is a huge proponent of Christus Victor) is a universalist. He seems to believe that hell will be longer for some than others, but the point of hell is to purify, like fire does to gold, the more corrupted it is, the longer it takes to bring out the impurities with fire. Sometimes one needs to be purified to be able to see the light, to uncover their eyes so they can see that Jesus is the only way. Fire doesn’t save, but it purifies.
Like laser eye surgery, all it does is fix your eyesight, not your eyes. If you eye was growing asymmetrically, it will continue to do so. All the laser surgery did was shape your lens to fit the jacked up state of unbalances eye you have at the moment. I had laser surgery 8 years ago and my vision is slowly getting worse again.
The fire can purify the gold, but this is worthless if the gold is living in impurities. It will just get right back to needing fire purification again. One needs to first pull the gold out of the ‘pit of impurities’, then one can be placed in the fire and purified forever.
That is what salvation/sanctification is like. Knowing/trusting in the life and teachings of Jesus is the only thing that brings us out of the ‘pit of impurities’, Jesus saves, but the wrath of God, the consuming fire and trials we are brought through is what purifies us. Obeying the will of the Father up into the point of death is what Jesus taught and wants us to do. But the only way to do that is to have the Spirit living in/through us, that is being pulled out of the pit.
That is what I see as atonement.
John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” It isn’t like dying is good for the sheep, if he had a gun, that would have worked fine too. The point being, the shepherd is willing to do anything to protect the sheep, so the sheep can live, anything up to the point of death. It took obedience of God up unto the point of death for Jesus to conquer sin, to show us the love of God. It wasn’t like God needed someone to die, so Jesus decided He would or God asked Him to do it because He demanded blood. God loves us, He wants to rescue us, He wants us to live life and live it abundantly. That meant that Jesus had to leave heaven, to show us how it is done and that ended in His death, the death made it complete, it consummated His life.
Sex doesn’t make a person married, but when you make an oath before man and God, you are married (spiritually, not legally) and the sex is said to consummate it, to complete the marriage. Death didn’t satisfy God, it consummated the life of Jesus.
I wouldn’t sell yourself short, you are concise and wise, which can be said to be much better than my lengthy ramblings at times.
I like your view, it opened my eyes and was a useful foot hold while climbing my mountain to get where I am now. I use your view as a building block to bring me to where I am now. That we were blessed with a brain to be able to overcome our biological impulses, then to seek out our creator. It is also our brain that lets us know we can’t overcome these biological impulses every time, which points us to God as the only way to achieve that 100% of the time, is through the Spirit of God living in us. And when the Spirit of God is living in us, we can be God’s true image bearers.