Once and For All // Moriah Nelson

The conversation between Boso (the Abbot of Bec) and Anselm included in the readings from Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man) was encouraging to read. Often, I find myself in Boso’s place, agreeing with him that, “…it seems careless for us, once we are established in the faith, not to aim at understanding what we believe.” (Why God Became Man, 59). I think it is great for all Christians to seek to understand why they believe what they believe. The wisdom Anselm shares is incredibly applicable even to this current day. In the subsection of the conversation, How God Took Manhood Out of the Sinful Mass, Yet Without Sin; the Salvation of Adam and Eve, Anselm shares an illustration comparing Jesus’ sacrifice for the kingdom of God as related to a faithful follower of an earthly king giving himself as a sacrifice for his king’s sinful subjects. In the illustration, the king allowed all of his subjects to “benefit” from this sacrifice, even if they sinned afterwards or weren’t present for the sacrifice. Through this illustration, Anselm presents the argument that Jesus’ death satisfied the payment for sin for not only the believers of His day, but also of all who choose to follow Him in the future. He says, “…His death had such power that its effect reaches even to those who lived in another place or at another time.” (Why God Became Man, 66). Ultimately, I believe this analogy hasto point to God because no one has ever lived without sinning except for Jesus. No king would display perfect grace and mercy like God has shown us through His Son’s sacrifice. This allegory is pointless if Christ never lived because no perfect example has been shown to us besides His life.

            This conversation led me to consider the power of Christ and His sacrifice which naturally led me to the Bible. “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for allwhen He offered up Himself.” (Hebrews 7:26-27, ESV, emphasis added). Anselm’s allegory should be especially encouraging to modern-day believers as it points us straight to the Gospel. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, we can have hope that even two thousand years after His death and resurrection, we can still be saved by faith in Christ. Because God’s Word says Jesus’ sacrifice is enough to cover all sin, we need not fear death or worry that God’s grace and mercy will ever run out. As Anselm said, “…let us thank God.” (Why God Became Man, 65).