Reconstructing Participation and Atonement in Paul

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August 11, 2026

By Marc Bates Founder and Chief Apologetics Officer

ARTICLE GUIDE

At a Glance

This essay examines David A. Brondos’ interpretation of Pauline participatory language and atonement as articulated in Chapter 6 and the Conclusion of

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(2006). Within Pauline studies, various models of participation have been advanced. E. P. Sanders (1977) emphasizes participation as being “in Christ” within the framework of covenantal nomism, highlighting incorporation into the covenant community. James D. G. Dunn (1998) links participatory language to the work of the Spirit and the social dynamics of the church, interpreting it as transformative membership in the new community. Douglas Campbell (2009) advocates for a more apocalyptic union, wherein believers share in Christ's victory over the powers, while J. Louis Martyn (1997) asserts that, for Paul, cosmic participation results from God's liberating action in Christ rather than from ethical or ritual acts. In contrast, Brondos argues that expressions such as “dying…

(2006), David A. Brondos concludes his reconstruction of Pauline soteriology by analyzing the apostle's participatory language, including phrases such as “in Christ,” “dying and rising with Christ,” and the identification with the crucified Lord, as exemplified in Romans 6:3–8 and Galatians 2:20. Traditionally, Pauline scholarship has interpreted these passages as evidence that Christ functions as a corporate or inclusive representative whose death has objectively altered the fundamental nature of the universe or humanity (see Sanders, 1977; Dunn, 1998). Brondos, however, reinterprets this language in light of the first-century Christian baptismal experience and the historical context of persecution, referencing experiences such as those described in 2 Corinthians 4:10 and 1 Corinthians 15:31. According to Brondos, baptism…

What This Study Explores

Atonement • Pauline Studies

What Does Participation “in Christ” Mean for Paul’s Atonement Theology?

Paul’s language of being “in Christ,” dying with Christ, and rising with him describes a real relocation of identity, allegiance, community, and conduct. David Brondos rightly insists that participatory language cannot be detached from baptismal commitment, apostolic suffering, and concrete obedience. The cross is the climax of Jesus’ faithful mission, not an isolated mechanism operating apart from his life and resurrection.

Yet participation need not be reduced to ethical imitation alone. Paul joins relational and communal transformation to divine action: believers are incorporated into Messiah’s death and resurrection, receive the Spirit, enter a new creation, and share a corporate identity grounded in what God has accomplished. Narrative, forensic, apocalyptic, covenantal, and participatory dimensions illuminate one another.

Key Claims

Participation is embodied and ethical. Union with Messiah generates a new pattern of allegiance, suffering, service, and hope.
The cross belongs to a larger narrative. Jesus’ faithful life, death, resurrection, vindication, and Spirit-giving mission form one saving movement.
Baptism marks transferred identity. Romans 6 depicts entrance into Messiah’s story and liberation from sin’s lordship.
Community is integral to salvation. “In Christ” creates a multi-ethnic covenant people rather than merely private mystical experience.
Multiple atonement dimensions are compatible. Participation need not exclude justification, representation, victory over powers, or sacrificial reconciliation.

Interpretive Context

Ethical and ontological accounts of participation need not be mutually exclusive: baptismal allegiance, Spirit-enabled practice, corporate belonging, and God’s transforming action converge in Paul’s “with Christ” and “in Christ” language. Brondos rightly restores narrative and vocation, but the passive and divine-action dimensions of Romans 6, Galatians 2, and 2 Corinthians 5 resist making participation chiefly the believer’s moral identification with Jesus’ cause.

The essay locates Brondos alongside Sanders, Dunn, Campbell, and Martyn, whose models emphasize covenantal incorporation, Spirit-transformed community, apocalyptic liberation, and divine intervention. Brondos supplies a needed corrective to abstract metaphysics, but Pauline texts resist reducing participation to human commitment. Kaiser’s promise-plan roots the whole discussion in Abraham, Sinai, David, the new covenant, and the non-supersessionist olive tree.

Selected Scholarship

Brondos, D. A. (2006). Paul on the Cross.
Campbell, D. A. (2009). The Deliverance of God.
Dunn, J. D. G. (1998). The Theology of Paul the Apostle.
Martyn, J. L. (1997). Galatians.
Sanders, E. P. (1977). Paul and Palestinian Judaism.

Scripture Connections

Genesis 3:15; Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36; Romans 11; Romans 6:3–8; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:31

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Originally published August 11, 2026. This WordPress page is a discovery guide; the complete article is hosted on Substack.

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Biblical Theology, Studies

· Promise-Plan, Read, Second Temple Judaism

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