Faith in Film 4, Atonement

It was wonderful to resume Faith in Film, especially when tackling such a fascinating and challenging film as "Atonement." The title of the film, based on the novel from Ian McEwen, refers to the concept of atonement. The film considers this principle from a human perspective. The dictionary defines atonement as, “amends or reparation made for an injury or wrong; expiation.” That is the human definition, which this film explores, that we try everything in our power to earn forgiveness for transgressions.

Of course we know that, from a Biblical perspective, atonement can't be earned and comes from God. The theology dictionary says this of the concept of atonement, “the Bible's central message is atonement, that is, that God has provided a way for humankind to come back into harmonious relation with him, is everywhere apparent in Scripture. From the first stories in Genesis to the last visions of Revelation, God seeks to reconcile his people to himself.” This is a key concept that humankind has wrestled with since the beginning. It is all throughout the Bible, because it is a deep human longing. But it is not one that we can fill ourselves. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” That is a pretty powerful verse and a pretty powerful description of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

So we can all probably intellectually process the idea that atonement is a core human longing and that it’s something we can’t earn, but we all probably recognize it is in our nature to try.

The other idea that is a focus of the film is the idea of forgiveness. All three characters are caught in this web. Briony is haunted b what she did to her sister and Robbie. Cecilia is haunted by the idea that she couldn't save Robbie and ashamed of what her family has done. And Robbie is guilt-stricken over the ways he feels Cecilia's guilt has held her back. They're all trapped in a cycle, haunted by grief, and unable to feel free. But for Cecilia and Robbie, this prevents them from being able to forgive, which is something that is also central to our faith.


In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 says, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” Again, we get the message of the importance of reconciliation, not just as an action we should do, but as something that God has modeled for us.

This, again, is something that we can all intellectually process as good. It’s something we know we should do and something that we know that God wants us to do because he modeled it for us. But it’s hard, because it goes against our human tendency.

So when it comes to atonement, there are two things I think we need to apply. True atonement can’t be earned; it is a free gift from God. We can’t work for it, we just have to accept it. And even though that should be easy, it is incredibly hard to put into practice. And second, we have to follow God’s model when it comes to forgiveness, even though it is also hard to put into practice. This is how we model God’s love to others. Consider that is one of the cardinal virtues of love that is referenced by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” We need to forgive, even though it’s hard.