Man And Redemption
Authors: Łydka Władysław 
Published: February 2021

What conclusions of the Pope’s doctrine are significant for our way of teachingthe treaty on Redemption?/) e lecture should include an analysis of the concrete existential situationof today’s individual, our nation and all modern humanity. Awarenessof the contemporary existential situation and contemporary conditions shouldbe both a starting point in the considerations on the Redemption, their relevanceand indispensability, as does political theology or liberation theology in theirown way, and the basis which makes it possible that lectures on Redemptionwould demonstrate its significance for today’s man and teach people effectiveconcern for specific matters of existence of Others. When talking about theeffects of Redemption, one should ask what is its significance today for human existence, for example in the burning matter of human dignity and rights, orin the field of the Church’s tasks in the world. us, both the starting point andeffects of the Redemption should be presented in a concrete way, in relationto the current socio-historical situation, based on current experience.() All teaching on the Redemption should be based on biblical sources,obviously interpreted in light of the last Council and entire Christian Tradition.Referring – to a greater extent – to the content and statements presentedin the Bible, may help to overcome the abstractness and the one-sidednessof traditional soteriological treaties, which consider Redemption only in termsof substitute compensation, the most perfect sacrifice and individualistic andethical participation in the atonement and merits of Christ.X) It is necessary to harmoniously combine – as the Pope does in his Encyclical– various aspects of the doctrine of the Redemption, o6en interpreted separatelyin earlier theological treaties. In the spirit of such a harmonious synthesis,it is necessary to demonstrate the relationship between the work of Redemptionand the work of creation, between the Incarnation and the Passover of Christ,between man’s Redemption and the Redemption of the whole world, betweenmoral liberation from sin and social liberation from all forms of oppression,the concern for eternal salvation and for authentic humanism in earthy life.Z) Among many biblical categories that provide a closer view on the mysteryof Redemption, it is especially important to present the category of love, notonly in order to overcome the narrow, legal and social approach to Redemptionin terms of satisfaction and merit, but above all because love is a preeminentcategory in the theory of Christian revelation, the attitude and action mostappropriate for God and for every human being, and the source or bond of trueand full communion between people and God.9) One should teach about the Redemption using a concrete language,and not the abstract one. When analyzing the biblical texts it is necessary to explainthat the revelation of the mystery of the Redemption took place gradually,within the framework of history, in the context of certain cultural categories,that people were redeemed from the situation of sin through concrete events,carried out by God throughout history, especially through life, death and resurrectionof Christ.e Christ who lived in a certain place and in a certain time carried outthe Redemption by restoring the broken covenant of mankind with God, andtoday He allows us to enjoy the effects of the Redemption. rough meetingand uniting with Him in faith and love, confirmed and strengthened in thesacraments, each person regains the highest dignity and the possibility of fulldevelopment. us, the teaching on Redemption using a concrete language will be thus also tantamount to emphasizing the historical, Christocentric andpersonalist character of Redemption.Y) Finally, following the biblical approach, one should refrain from confiningoneself to recognize the mystery of the Redemption in a purely objectiveand essentializing manner – which was common in earlier textbooks – fromcarrying out considerations about its essence in isolation from man and hissituation, but instead one should try to recognize this mystery in terms of itsrole in human life and humanity, its significance for specific human history, itsinfluence on human activity and human culture.