Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

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Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

figure for people who often divide into various camps. While Eastern Orthodox Christians love Athanasius for his emphasis on immortality and participating in the divine life, Western Christians appreciate his focus on substitutionary atonement and sacrifice. Together, we can all see how Athanasius points toward the whole Christ who accomplishes a work of holistic salvation. Culturally Subversive Athanasius lived and wrote as a man who was rooted in the church while also aware of his context within the world. His particular location, Alexandria, represented a global marketplace of ideas and therefore provided a stark contrast for his Christ-exalting theology. A way of summarizing Athanasius’s posture toward his city and the world would be to say that he was against the world for the sake of the world . Athanasius was, as one of the titles of his works suggests, contra mundum —against the world. He acknowledged the distinction between the church and the world and called Christians to resist worldly patterns and powers that undermine God’s purposes. And yet, Athanasius was not against the world in the sense that he longed to see its destruction. Rather, Athanasius opposed the world because he was ultimately for the God-designed good of the world. He longed and prayed for his city to experience the love of God in Christ. This is why, in On the Incarnation , after laying forth the meaning of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, Athanasius anticipates and responds to the questions and critiques from the Jews and gentiles. He subverted the ways of the world in order to seek the renewal of the world.