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As an understanding of the work of Christ, the belief of the very early church father Irenaeus has been tragically neglected. Supported by a couple of biblical references, especially Ephesians 1:10, Irenaeus interpreted the life and death of Jesus as a ‘recapitulation’ both of world history and personal salvation. By uniting with the incarnate Son of God by faith, a believer participates in the sacrifice of his life and death, and is thereby forgiven. The mode of recapitulation may then be seen as a combination of the three traditional views of the means of atonement, and meets objections levelled against each. It must be admitted that the modern worldview is not sympathetic to the idea of recapitulation, but this is not a criticism of its validity. Rather, the theory provides a strong motivation for effective Christian living.