In the year 1033, in the quiet little town of Aosta, Lombardy (Italy), a son was born to a wealthy couple who held high hopes for their little boy. The name he was given at his birth was Anselm. His mother, Ermenberga, belonged to a Burgundian family that was wealthy, landed, and noble. His father, Gondolfo, was also from a noble family. It was Gondolfo’s strict intention that his son would make a career in politics. Later, when Anselm would choose the life of a monk, his father was sadly disappointed. Anselm received an excellent classical education and was considered one of the most accomplished “Latinists” of his day. His great ability in languages impressed upon him the need to be precise in his use of words, and his writings became known for both their elegance and clarity. Much to the chagrin of his father, Anselm entered the Benedictine monastery at Bec in 1057 to study under the famed abbot Lanfranc. Due to his piety and his reputation as a scholar, he was elected prior by his fellow monks, and eventually as abbot in 1078 when Lanfranc left for duties as Archbishop of Canterbury.
In the Middle Ages, questions circulated concerning the propriety of assuming that Jesus’ death on the cross for human atonement was a “necessary” act by God as if some law outside of God was acting upon him, requiring the sacrifice of his Son. This became known as the Ex Lex debate. The main question was this: Does the will of God work within a framework of universal laws, or does God operate outside the law (Ex Lex)? In other words, is God subject to something operating outside himself? Is God apart from the law, or under the law?
The church’s response to this perplexing philosophical question was essentially, “Why ask silly questions?” God is neither apart from the law nor under the law. God is God, and he is free from any restraints outside himself. Nevertheless, he does work according to the law of his own nature. Since he himself is perfection, it is only natural that he would obey all laws emanating from his perfected being. Orthodox Christians called this “the natural law of God.” Still hanging in there with me? Good.
Into this debate stepped the great Anselm, now the Archbishop of Canterbury after the death of his mentor and friend, Lanfranc. Anselm had already written two classic apologetic works, including his famous Monologion (“Monologue”), in which he presented his argument for the existence of God using reason alone rather than appeals to Scripture, which had been the primary approach utilized by previous theologians. He followed this work up with his Proslogion (“Address” or “Allocution”), originally titled Fides quaerens intellectum (“Faith Seeking Understanding”). In this work, he established his now famous (or infamous) ontological argument for the existence of God. Even fools, he claimed, have an idea of a being greater than which no other being can be conceived to exist. Such a being, he argued, must really exist, for the very idea of such a being implies its existence.
Eventually, Anselm addressed the central question itself—why did God become man? He did this in 1099 in his most important and famous work; Cur Deus Homo. From this, we get our Advent theme for 2022, some 900-plus years after Anselm (I am taking it for granted that he will not mind my theft of his intellectual property). This work has become the classic treatment of what is now known as “the satisfaction theory” of the atonement. According to this theory, which is based upon the feudal structure of society that existed in Anselm’s day, finite humanity has committed serious crimes (sin) against an infinite God. In feudal society, an offender was required to make recompense, or satisfaction, to the one offended according to that person’s status. Thus, a crime against a king would require more satisfaction than a crime against a baron or a serf. Hence, finite humanity, which could never make satisfaction to the infinite God, could expect only eternal death. The means for bringing humans back into a right relationship with God, therefore, could be rendered only by someone who was both God—because God can overcome sin through sinlessness—and human—because humans are those who are guilty of sin. In the atonement (the death of Christ), we see both God’s gracious love toward sinners and, at the same time, his work in satisfying true justice. A justice made true by the reality that God himself has set the standard. As the Judge over all creation, a perfect God must and always will do what is right. Therefore, he cannot arbitrarily violate his own righteous decrees.
Scripture reveals the cross to us as both the propitiation and expiation for our sins, twin accomplishments of Christ on our behalf. Propitiation, that which satisfies God’s righteous requirements and appeases his righteous hatred of sin, and expiation, the removal of sin from us and the giving of them over to Christ, who suffered and died in our place. This is why God became Man. And this is what we will address this Advent season in our preaching series. I hope and pray that it will draw us all closer to this incredible, gracious, and righteous God!
Grace and peace
Pastor Jym