38 - Atonement with Dr. Ronn Johnson

Summary

Dr. Ronn Johnson presents a reading of biblical atonement that differs from the familiar penal-substitution model. He argues that Old Testament ritual atonement was chiefly about purification and access to sacred space, rather than making a morally guilty person righteous or persuading an angry God to forgive. In his view, New Testament atonement language helps explain how Gentiles could join the people of God.

Johnson’s Main Ideas

• Atonement is one aspect of Jesus’ death. Johnson distinguishes the broad question of what Jesus’ death accomplished from the narrower question of atonement. He cautions against treating any one theory of atonement as the whole meaning of the cross.
• Read the Bible in its historical sequence. Johnson argues that later Christian understandings of Jesus’ death should not simply be projected backward onto every Old Testament sacrifice. He emphasizes tracing how ideas develop from the Old Testament into the New Testament.
• The Hebrew term often translated “atonement” has a range of meanings. Johnson discusses kafar, whose literal sense is associated with “covering.” He recommends considering purification or covering in passages where English translations use “atonement.”
• Ritual atonement did not make people righteous. Johnson argues that people first became righteous through loyalty to Yahweh; ritual acts then addressed purity and access. He points to the opening of Leviticus, which describes what people do when they bring offerings, rather than presenting sacrifice as the means by which they first become acceptable to God.
• Purity and sin are not identical categories. In Johnson’s account, much of Leviticus concerns ordinary states of ritual impurity—such as bodily discharges, contact with a corpse, or mold in a house—rather than moral wrongdoing. These conditions could restrict participation in worship without meaning that a person had become morally wicked or was less loved by God.
• Holiness means being set apart, not simply being morally good. Johnson describes the ancient distinction as one between the sacred and the ordinary or common. Ritual purification could mark a person or object as fit for sacred space.
• Atonement concerned access to God’s presence. Johnson describes worship as involving two related steps:
  1. Loyalty to Yahweh: turning from other gods and becoming part of Yahweh’s people.
  2. Approach to sacred space: being purified to participate in worship near the temple or tabernacle.

In this account, the first step establishes a person’s allegiance; ritual purification addresses the second.

• Ritual atonement was historically limited. Johnson says the sacrificial system was established at Sinai and ended with the destruction of the temple, rather than operating continuously from Genesis onward. He describes Israel’s ritual atonement as belonging to a period of roughly 900 years.
• Moral wrongdoing was not simply solved by sacrifice. Johnson uses David’s sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah as an example. He argues that David seeks God’s mercy and forgiveness rather than treating sacrifice as payment for murder and adultery. He distinguishes ritual impurity from rebellious moral acts, which, in his view, require an appeal to God’s mercy.

Johnson’s Eight-Point Account of Atonement

1. Ritual atonement follows the question of righteousness. In his model, it does not make someone righteous before God.
2. It is episodic and directed toward access. A righteous worshiper sought purification to approach sacred space; ritual atonement was not a continuous mechanism for managing sin.
3. It is not payment to appease divine anger. Johnson interprets it primarily as purification from ritual uncleanness. Moral rebellion is a different matter and calls for God’s mercy.
4. It restored participation in Israel’s community. A purified Israelite could fully take part in the worship and life of Abraham’s family.
5. The New Testament’s central concern is Gentile inclusion. Johnson argues that the early church’s major challenge was how Gentiles could join the Abrahamic community while remaining Gentiles—not how anyone first became righteous.
6. New Testament “sanctification” often concerns Gentile inclusion. Johnson reads it as the application of Jesus’ atonement to Gentiles, allowing them to join a people already regarded as holy.
7. The “curse of the law” in Galatians is an exclusion problem. He interprets it not as proof that the Torah demanded perfect behavior, but as a barrier that marked Gentiles as outsiders; Jesus’ death removes that barrier.
8. The New Testament connects Jesus’ death to atonement through interpretation. Johnson notes that Jesus did not die in the temple or during the Day of Atonement ritual. He argues that New Testament writers gradually use scriptural patterns and interpretations to connect Jesus’ death with atonement.

Critique of Penal Substitution

Johnson questions the penal-substitution model, while acknowledging its influence in many evangelical churches. He says the model depends on claims he does not find clearly established in biblical texts—for example, that God requires sinlessness, that sin creates a debt Jesus must pay, that God cannot forgive without punishment, or that sacrifice appeases God’s anger. He also argues that the Bible describes sin’s consequence as death, not necessarily hell, and that substitution and atonement should not automatically be treated as the same idea.

Johnson does not argue that forgiveness or the need to stop sinning is irrelevant. Instead, he distinguishes forgiveness from ritual purification and from access to sacred space. He points to God’s self-description in Exodus 34—as merciful, patient, and forgiving—as central to understanding forgiveness.

Other Discussion

• The hosts connect the topic to common objections that the biblical God is “bloodthirsty.” Johnson argues that sacrifice should be understood within ancient religious practices and that Yahweh’s character should be read across the Bible’s developing story, rather than reduced to a demand for blood.
• The group discusses how theological disagreement can affect churches and careers. Johnson encourages people to examine biblical texts for themselves while valuing Christian community and avoiding unnecessary hostility over differing interpretations.
• The hosts recommend further discussion and mention the possibility of a follow-up Q&A.

Speakers and Sources Mentioned

Speakers

• Dr. Ronn Johnson — guest and primary presenter
• Josh — host
• Ryan — host

Sources and People Cited or Discussed

• Greg Boyd — recalled by Johnson in connection with the claim that the devil, rather than God, loves blood
• Mike Heiser — cited as an influence on Johnson’s Divine Council Worldview approach
• John Goldingay, Biblical Theology — Johnson quotes a passage about Jesus’ death providing purification and access to God’s presence
• Thomas Schreiner — quoted on penal substitution in a multi-view book on atonement
• Beilby and Eddy — identified as editors of the book presenting several views of atonement
• A Leviticus teaching series by a scholar whose name is unclear in the auto-generated subtitles — discussed in relation to sacrifices and moral sins
• Biblical Archaeology Review — cited for discussion of ancient ideas about purity and impurity
• The Westminster Confession — mentioned in connection with sanctification
• C. S. Lewis — referenced in an anecdote about the value of worshiping alongside ordinary, imperfect people
• Dr. Johnson’s Divine Council Worldview Podcast — recommended by the hosts and discussed by Johnson

Biblical Texts Discussed

Genesis 3, 15, and 22; Leviticus; Exodus 12 and 34; Psalms 40 and 51; Isaiah 19; Daniel 9; 2 Samuel 12; John 4; Acts 10–11 and 21; Romans 5; Galatians 3; Hebrews 10 and 13; Colossians; and 1 John.