The Scope and Purpose of Atonement for All Creation

Atonement for All Creation is not merely an institution for the forgiveness of individual sins, but can be seen as a symbolic trial intended to expose and heal all lawlessness and distorted relationships that exist within the governing order of God's Kingdom. Here, the object of sin is not limited to individuals. The communities to which individuals belong, the institutions and cultures formed by these communities, and even the civilizational structures created by humanity, become objects of judgment and atonement.

This perspective can, to some extent, be connected with the insight from modern philosophy's structuralism, which states that "individual actions must be understood within larger structures and systems." According to structuralism, the meaning of things does not exist individually but is defined within an entire network of relationships. Similarly, sin and lawlessness can be understood not merely as individual actions, but within the structural realities formed jointly by individuals and communities, cultures and civilizations. Therefore, Atonement for All Creation carries the meaning of a symbolic trial that brings not only individuals but also these entire structures before God.

However, the ultimate purpose of atonement is not condemnation itself. God's purpose is to expose, through judgment, the lawlessness that destroys the love and happiness of truth, and to bestow upon God's people the ability to govern it. God established humanity as the ruler of all creation, and through atonement, guides humans to grow into more mature beings, in accordance with God's image. This maturity does not merely remain at individual salvation. Humans must be transformed into beings capable of loving and serving the entirety of God's creation, including angels and all things. Therefore, the purpose of Atonement for All Creation is to restore the order of God's Kingdom, where all creation enjoys happiness together.

For example, an evil institution like the apartheid policy is not merely the problem of a few individuals, but a manifestation of structural sin created by an entire community. Looking at such lawless structures, we become aware of the countless discriminations and oppressions that exist within human society, and the suffering inflicted upon all creation. Conversely, the atonement of Jesus Christ is not merely an event where he took punishment in our stead, but an event that enables those who have experienced grace to grow into rulers of God's Kingdom. Those who experience atonement gain the ability to love, the ability to serve, and the ability to govern lawlessness. And that ability is not for domination, but is the power of love to make all creation happy.

Therefore, it can be said that the ultimate purpose of Atonement for All Creation is to expose and remove all lawlessness, allowing humanity to mature infinitely in the image of God, and by ruling and serving all creation with God's love, to establish God's Kingdom where all creatures together enjoy happiness.

In summary, Atonement for All Creation is a symbolic trial that reveals before God not only individual sins but also structural lawlessness present in communities, cultures, and civilizations. Its purpose is not condemnation, but to equip humanity, matured in the image of God, with the ability to rule all creation with love and happiness.

Structuralism provides fascinating insights for understanding the scope of Atonement for All Creation. However, as structuralism itself is not Christian theology, it is necessary to critically engage with and appropriate structuralism from a theological perspective.

**What is Structuralism?**

Structuralism, a school of thought developed in 20th-century France, views human behavior and thought as influenced by more fundamental "structures" rather than individual will. Prominent thinkers include Ferdinand de Saussure, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Lacan, and Louis Althusser.

Structuralism asks: "Why do people repeatedly generate the same sins and evils?" "Why does society constantly reproduce discrimination and violence?" It seeks the answers not merely in individual wickedness, but in the invisible structures that drive society.

**Sin from a Structuralist Perspective**

Traditionally, sin has been understood as an individual transgression. However, from a structuralist perspective, it is viewed as follows:

Individual sin, family sin, community sin, national sin, cultural sin, civilizational sin — all are interconnected.

For example, racism is not simply the prejudice of one person. Educational systems, economic structures, legal frameworks, and cultural biases all operate together to produce racism. The case of Apartheid is similar. Apartheid was not the fault of a few individuals but a structure of sin created by the entire society. Therefore, what must be judged is not just the individual, but the entire structure.

**Atonement for All Creation and Structuralism**

**Phase 1: Identification of the Offender**
The offender is not simply an individual.
The offender is the entire aggregate of individuals, communities, institutions, cultures, civilizations, and history. In other words, sin is structural.

**Phase 2: Placing Structures on Trial**
Atonement for All Creation goes beyond the confession of individual sin; it becomes a symbolic event that places "all structures that impede the Kingdom of God" before the judgment seat. For example, slavery, colonialism, racism, class discrimination, exploitative economies, and ecological destruction also become objects of judgment.

**Phase 3: The Purpose of Atonement**
The crucial point here is that God's purpose in judgment is not mere punishment. It is "to equip with the ability to govern lawlessness." That is, by exposing sin, God enables greater love, greater service, greater happiness, and greater maturity.

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