The atonement theory of Johannes von Hofmann has left a mark on Lutheran theology that persists to this day. He rejected vicarious satisfaction and replaced it with a historical, dispensational theory of Heilsgeschicte (salvation history).

Hofmann claimed to follow Luther better than his opponents and the whole Lutheran tradition since Luther's death. He invoked the tactic of "Luther against the Lutherans." Similarly, he claimed to represent the Lutheran confessions more truly, changing only their form of expression but not their content. His critiques of vicarious satisfaction find sympathy in Gustaf Aul