What if Jesus’ atoning work wasn’t completed on the cross?
Professor David Moffitt and Dr Jonathan Rowlands join John Nelson to rethink one of Christianity’s central doctrines: the atonement. Is penal substitution really the Bible’s main explanation of Calvary? Does sacrifice simply mean the killing of an animal? And what did the first Christians believe Jesus was doing after his resurrection and ascension?
Drawing on Leviticus, Hebrews and Paul, Moffitt and Rowlands argue that the cross cannot be understood in isolation from Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and ongoing intercession before the Father.
But that raises some big questions. Was Jesus’ work really “finished” on the cross? Can Christians lose their salvation? What might the atonement mean for victims of abuse and violence? And why should any of this theology matter for ordinary Christian life today?

This episode is sponsored by the University of St Andrews and its online  Bible and the Contemporary World  programme, a flexible part-time course engaging biblical and theological study in conversation with contemporary culture and major public issues. Learn more: Bible and the Contemporary World - online - Subjects - University of St Andrews: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/divinity/bible-contemporary-world-online/

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Released on 20 Aug 2026