Jesus as Head of a New Humanity is the oldest and most biblical of the atonement theories in church history that attempt to explain how the work of Christ, his life, death and resurection, save us.  It is very biblical and was the main, almost the only theory espoused by the early church fathers who wrote trying to explain the significance of Christ’s work. 

These early writers used the title Jesus as Conqueror for this theory.  Jesus as Head of a New Humanity is the more modern title used for the same basic theory.

Jesus as Head of  a New Humanity picks up on the Bible’s emphasis of universalism, that is that all men shall ultimately be brought to repentance and be saved through God’s plan of salvation through Christ.  Of course the majority of the early church Fathers would disagree with this as well as many modern bible scholars today.  But some in the early church such as its first systematic theologian Origen wholeheartedly taught a universalistic salvation.  Many other great teachers in church history have been universalists on salvation also.  A growing number of modern Bible shcolars are.

However,  a majority in the church has always thought it best to put a large number of people in Hell and leave them there.  But the majority of the church has been wrong and unbiblical on a lot of other issues too.  That is why I study and teach history.  History is very enlightening of the path we should take in the future.

Though Jesus as Head of a New Humanity was the most popular view of the atonement in the early church it was was largely forgotten by the Western Church for a long time.  It resurfaced powerfully in the twentieth century in Gustaf Aulen’s book, “Christ the Conqueror.” 

In this view Christ has conquered Satan and the principle of sin that enslaves us by his life, teaching, miracle, death and resurection.  In short all of Christ’s doing, being, dying and raising from the dead is an overcoming of the enslaving powers of life and the universe.  Thus every aspect of Christ’s life is salvific for us.

And since God was in Christ in all of this effecting reconciliation to himself for us then all of Christ’s overcoming life is a gift from God to us and it is put to our account as if we had overcome ourselves.  When we believe and accept this good news for ourselves we then actualize its power for us, experiencing it in us.  This gift of grace then liberates us from the enslaving powers of the universe that we may follow Jesus in our psychological, spiritual freedom in an overcoming way.

This view takes the depth of sin’s power seriously without reducing the sin problem to a debt that has to be paid.  It takes seriously also our need of divine help to be saved.  It cannot be done by our subjective efforts alone as some other theories seem to imply. 

This view honors the entire life and scope of Jesus as having saving power for us.  It honors the resurection of Jesus as that which broke the power and authority of the devil so that he goes about as an angry, roaring lion because someone robbed him of his prey and thus stole his lunch.

This view sees even the mythological teaching of Jesus’ descent into Hell as part of Jesus’ saving work for us.  After his death he descended into the lowest parts os Satan’s domain but it could not contain him.  He tore down the gates and conquered Satan’s authority here and marched forth leading captivity captive to a new regime, the regime of Christ as Lord.  Thus he liberates us from all fear of death that it may no longer enslave us to the service of sin.

This view is elucidated many places in the New Testament.  I Cor. 15:22 is one of many places that sums it up clearly that Jesus conquered all and we all benefit.  “As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.  Adam as the first head of humanity “became a living being,” Jesus as the second or new head of humanity is “a life giving spirit” (I Cor. 15:45).  The first head has to receive life but the second head gives life. 

Iraneus of Lyon, a church father of the second century, used a Latin word to speak of the work of Christ which meant “reheading.”  It means the same thing as such New Testament verses as Eph. 1:10 which speaks of God’s unversal purpose as being “to gather up all things in Christ.”

So God’s salvation is accomplished by “reheading” humanity with Jesus and whatever by grace through faith is joined to this new head will receive the life of this head to themselves.  That is they shall be raised up into newness of life. 

This view makes a solidarity of the human race in sin, death, salvation and life.  It promotes brotherhood by making us realize we are all in the same boat together.

This view is not more widely preached and accepted today because of our modern materialistic limitations and our individualism.  Materialistic limitations:  we are so accustomed to acknowledging only the realities that we can see that we are blind to the in depth controlling power of evil, thinking that evil has only the power that we freely choose to give it.  Modern individualism prohibits us from seeing the mass of humanity as a single body under one head.  We cannot see how the victory of the head means ultimately the victory and resurection of the entire body. 

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