What Do Christians Believe About Atonement?
Christianity teaches that every person is born tainted by original sin, the sin committed when Prophet Adam and Eve, peace be upon them, disobeyed God by eating from the forbidden tree. Because all of humanity is believed to inherit that sinful state from their distant ancestors, mainstream Christian doctrine holds that atonement — the belief that Jesus Christ died to pay for humanity’s sins — is necessary for salvation. In this view, a person can be saved from hellfire and granted Paradise simply by accepting that Jesus Christ died for their sins, without any requirement to worship God, perform good deeds, or follow His Law, since Jesus is believed to have already fulfilled it on their behalf.
Taken to its logical conclusion, this teaching suggests that God’s commandments are optional, since a person can secure Paradise through belief alone. That raises an obvious question: if simply believing Jesus died for one’s sins is sufficient, why would studying the Bible or the teachings of Jesus Christ matter at all?
Does the Bible Itself Support This Idea?
If Jesus Christ truly died to save humanity from sin, it would be reasonable to expect him to have taught this clearly. Yet nowhere in the Bible does Jesus explicitly state that he would die to atone for human sin. When a man asked Jesus directly what he must do to obtain eternal life, Jesus did not mention atonement or belief in his own death. Instead, he pointed to the commandments.
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, 'Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?' ... Jesus replied, 'If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.' ... 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother and love your neighbor as yourself.'
The Bible elsewhere reinforces that God’s commandments remain binding and must be followed, warning that anyone who teaches otherwise will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
The Bible also questions the value of faith when it is not paired with action, a standard that sits uneasily alongside the belief that faith alone is sufficient for salvation.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?
Does the Bible Support the Idea of Inherited Sin?
Some Christians go further, believing that even infants who die unbaptized are condemned to hell because they were born with inherited sin and never had the chance to accept Jesus Christ as their savior. Yet the Bible itself appears to contradict the idea that sin can be inherited or transferred from one person to another.
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child.
Jesus himself is recorded as welcoming children without any suggestion that they carry inherited guilt: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). If no one bears the guilt of another’s sin, then the very foundation of the atonement doctrine — that all of humanity inherits Adam’s sin and must be redeemed through Jesus’s death — is difficult to reconcile with the Bible’s own words.
It is worth noting that the concept of atonement, as commonly taught today, is widely traced back to the apostle Paul rather than to Jesus Christ himself. This raises a serious question for Christians to consider: why follow the teachings of Paul over the direct teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly on a doctrine as consequential as how one attains salvation?
How Does Islam's View of Atonement Differ?
Islam rejects the idea of inherited sin and substitutionary atonement altogether. Every person is held responsible only for their own actions, and no one — not even a prophet — can bear the sins of another. Rather than requiring belief in someone else’s sacrifice, Islam teaches that a person is forgiven through sincere repentance (tawbah) directly to God, paired with genuine belief and righteous action. For a full explanation of how this works, see What Is the Concept of Atonement in Islam?
This difference reflects a broader theological divide between the two faiths on the nature of God, sin, and salvation. To explore how the Qur’an describes Jesus Christ in Islam, or to understand the fuller Islamic teaching on how one seeks salvation from Hellfire and enters Paradise, see the linked articles. You can also read more on how Islam relates to Judaism and Christianity more broadly.
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