Jesus, a Poor, Marginalized Victim, accomplished our Salvation

“Through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Notice how Paul clearly teaches that righteousness is dependent upon Christ, but also how he emphasizes the humanity of Christ, the “one man.” For centuries theologians have argued that the human obedience of Jesus Christ is the basis of our justification (in other words, the reason why we can be viewed as righteous by God even while we are sinners). We cannot forget that Jesus lived a human life of poverty and marginalization as a victim of violence and injustice, nor can we separate this life from the act of obedience through which Christians claim to be saved. Simply put, it was by the agency of a poor, marginalized victim that we are saved. Of course, we must immediately affirm that Jesus was not merely a human victim. He was also perfect God, the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God. Anything he accomplished he also accomplished through the divine power of God at work within this same human nature. Granting that this is true, and noting that divinity and humanity are united uniquely in Jesus Christ in a manner unlike any other harmony of divine and human action, it should also be clear that no human being accomplishes anything good apart from the work of God within him or her (Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 2:13). The fundamental point remains: it was by the agency of a poor, marginalized victim that we are saved. This means that the Christian ethical challenge to work on behalf of the poor, victims, and the marginalized cannot equate to a patriarchalism that sidelines these same poor, marginalized victims as if they can contribute nothing to the development of their own lives. Christian work on behalf of the “least of these” (Matthew 24:45) should be work that empowers those in need, enabling agency. We know it was by the agency of a poor, marginalized victim that God acted to bring about redemption, so we do not doubt what God can do when we enable the agency of those who are of a similar status today.

Jesus Christ was perfect God and perfect man. By the agency of this poor, marginalized victim we are saved.