Atonement, Penal Substitution, and What the Bible Actually Says
Posted by James MacDonald on June 4, 2007 09:13 AM | Comments (12)When I was told that someone was attacking my preaching of the gospel on the internet, I thought, "Well, no big deal." When several weeks later I got a chance to read what he had written, I thought, "Wow is this guy ever 'straining the gnat and swallowing the camel.'" :) Still I said nothing as each of us certainly has the right to teach as we believe the Scriptures do. This weekend at church however I had a great opportunity to present a fuller statement on what I do believe and teach about the atonement. To hear the whole message on Acts 17 click here. Preaching on Paul's preaching about Christ gave me a chance to make a fuller statement than I normally can under the time constraints of a typical weekend service. Be sure to follow the links to the two articles on this subject (below) which are much stronger and more complete than my own.
Atonement
In the broadest sense, the word "atonement" describes the work of Christ in His life and death that secures our salvation. The atoning work of Christ involves two aspects: His obedience that fulfills the requirements of the law and His substitutionary death whereby Christ takes the penalty for our sins. In both instances the atonement is primarily a work which satisfies God the Father and then only by application affects the salvation of humanity.
Christ's Obedience to God
If Jesus had only died for our sins, if He had only earned our forgiveness, we would be in the state that Adam and Eve had been in the garden before the Fall. Jesus had to live a life of obedience to God the Father in our place so that we could be sealed by His obedience in a state of eternal righteousness.
Philippians 3:9, And may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.
Romans 5:19, For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
Wayne Grudem says: "Christ had to live a life of perfect obedience to God in order to earn righteousness for us. He had to obey the law for His whole life on our behalf so that the positive merits of His perfect obedience would be counted for us." Systematic Theology p. 570.
Christ's Suffering as Payment to God for Sin
This is the central theme in all of Scripture. The Old Testament sacrificial system pictures it, the Old Testament prophets predict it, the New Testament tells the story of it, and the apostles explain His death with many images and pictures. Scripture repeatedly asserts that our sins were placed upon Christ.
Isaiah 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us to our own way, but the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all!
John 1:29, John the Baptist said upon seeing Jesus prior to His baptism, Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says of Jesus, He became sin for us who knew no sin. Of course sin is an intangible; Jesus did not literally become actual sin. It means He became our "sin offering."
Galatians 3:13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us.
Hebrews 9:28, So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many...
Many other subjects could be discussed here:
> Jesus death averted God's wrath for sin that has been stored up since the Fall; Romans 3:25.
> People who go to Hell are punished for their rejection of Christ. They do not pay for their sins. That is why they suffer eternally, because no sinful person could ever atone for their own sin.
> The truth of Christ's suffering and obedience as examples to us of how we should live, etc.
Four NEEDS we have & four biblical terms which show how Christ's atonement meets those needs: (Adapted from Grudem's Systematic Theology)
Sacrifice: We deserve to die as the penalty for sin and needed someone to be sacrificed in our place. Christ was sacrificed in our place. Hebrews 9:26, He has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Some will say that only a cruel God would ever do that, but Jesus said, No one takes my life, I lay it down. Repeatedly the Bible insists that Christ went willingly to the cross.
Propitiation: Romans 1-3 proves that all of humanity is under God's wrath for sin. We needed someone to avert the wrath of God directed toward our sin. Christ died as a propitiation of our sin. Propitiation is the idea of covering. Rich in Old Testament imagery, including the actual term used for the lid on the mercy seat, propitiation is "that which covers, protects or secures favor." First John 4:10, In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Hebrews 2:17, Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Reconciliation: We needed someone to restore the relationship that was separated and shattered by the sin nature we were born with and the sinful actions and attitudes that we have chosen. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:18 that God through Christ reconciled us to Himself . . . that is God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Ephesians 2:13, But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Redemption: As sinners, we were in bondage to sin (our own sin) and to Satan and we needed someone to redeem us out of that bondage. Mark 10:45, For the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. This analogy must not be pressed too far, for the ransom was neither paid to Satan who had no right to demand it nor to the Father who did not hold us in bondage.
The richness of these images is in the aspect they portray. The problem comes in the emphasis of one portion. The atoning work of Christ is the signature point of beauty in the entire tapestry of biblical revelation. Difficulty comes when one aspect is emphasized to the exclusion of the others or worst of all when one part is denied. The goal is to say all that Scripture says about Christ's death on our behalf without affirming anything the Scripture does not explicitly state.
For further study check out the excellent article by Mark Dever: "Nothing But the Blood" and also if you want to settle the matter once and for all forever, read an article by J.I. Packer titled, "What Did the Cross Achieve?" where he gives the historical arguments especially for penal substitution in their historical context and with refutation of the error that tries to deny its veracity.
Comments
Posted by: Charlene | June 4, 2007 09:54 AM
I, too, am trying to lose weight. I started at the end of April and am now down 25 lb. I find writing down what I eat as the best tool. I also watch portions sizes and make sure I follow the food guide. You know, 3 proteins, 3 fruit, 4 veg,etc. Sometimes I think about what I can't eat (sweets) but I am enjoying what I can. The healthy natural foods are very colourful and tasty. It's really a lifestyle change, just like when you put your trust in God, your life is changed forever.
Posted by: Dennis | June 4, 2007 10:21 AM
The small mens group I am in discussed this very topic this morning. Even with a good understanding of atonment, it is a bewildering topic that I find difficult to understand in my soul. Perhaps that is appropriate, it helps me to appreciate our Good God that much more. Dennis Nemitz
Posted by: deborah | June 4, 2007 09:57 PM
That was a wonderful message this weekend and I thank God for leading me and my family to Harvest. We have grown immeasurably under your teaching. I would say, however, that it is not quite accurate to say that people who go to Hell are punished for their rejection of Christ. That it true as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough. People go to Hell because they have broken God's law. God only judges guilty people. I think it's important to clarify that because when we only tell unbelievers that they will go to Hell if they reject Christ, they won't understand why Christ is necessary. As Paul Harvey says, they need to know "the rest of the story."
Posted by: Ryan | June 5, 2007 07:45 PM
James,
I agree with you on everything you wrote but I think in your Acts 17 sermon you should have qualified the "you." YOU (James)kept saying Christ's atonement was for "you" but YOU (James)did not follow it up with "you means if you have repented and trusted Christ." The atonement is more than enough for all but it is only effective for those who repent and believe. The atonement did not purchase the forgiveness of sins for all and maybe that is where people get confused. I know you are preaching to mostly believers but if there is someone there who is lost they need to know that the atonement is available to all but the effective for only the "many" as Scripture clearly states. It is a covenant of his blood and not everyone has a covenant relationship purchased by Jesus, only to those who repent and believe. I think we all need to double check our preaching and witnessing, and qualify the for "whom" the atonement is actually for because we do not want to be guilty of giving a lost person or false believer a wrong sense of security. I am preaching to myself at this point. Keep on keeping on brother.
Posted by: leslie | June 7, 2007 09:58 AM
JAMES MACDONALD:
I LOVE LISTENING TO YOU SPEAK
ABOUT GODS TRUTH!!!!
i praise and thank God for you, for giving me INSIGHT
INTO HIS WORD.
LOVE YOU JAMES, leslie
Posted by: Lisa | June 8, 2007 07:30 AM
We just listened to your message last night...one word.... WOW! That was PACKED full!!! I'm going to relisten a few times to get all of what was in there. I love your messages when you are really fired up about something. Can I say one thing though?? The part about Bill Maher was stooping to his level.... He slammed us then you slammed him. You are too good for that James. Personally, we thought it was funny...but someone not following Christ might hold onto that as sour grapes and that you are no better than him. The guy is scum, but leave it out of the message maybe?? Next time maybe say, "if you want to know where this guy is coming from, google his past movies." Just a thought! Great message!! Can't wait for this weeks! God Bless!
Posted by: Don | June 8, 2007 11:13 AM
James,
Just guarding the Sheep!
Thank you for addressing the atonement this past week. Most likely, many who have bloged this week or many of those who attend, or those who are listening don't understand why you had to speak on this subject. But, I believe it is necessary to defend the sheep against false doctrines so that the sheep will not get confused or be scattered.
...Jude 3 says, "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you CONTENT EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH which was once for all delivered to the saints".
James, I'm sure that while you were reading Acts 17 there was an a desire preach about our common salvation, yet in view of the need to defend the Gospel you too had to earnestly contend for the faith.
May you through God's Grace continue to feed and protect His sheep.
Posted by: Lisa | June 8, 2007 11:59 AM
James: I had to post again. I really loved this sermon and what you wrote. I put it up on my MyChurch space to share and now I have someone arguing with ME! Must be nice to be 25 (as this young man is) and ALWAYS right..... I was 25 once? Yes, I almost remember that. I think I thought I was always right also! ON the plus side, a few more people are listening to you now ;)
Posted by: sharon | June 9, 2007 08:08 PM
James,
I found this article that you are talking about close to a month ago. I emailed him and we went back and forth. He asked me to send him scripture to back up atonement and payment. I sent him over 30 scriptures. When I would re-word what I thought he was saying he agreed then would disagree. I told my pastor about it that night at small group and it just so happens we were going through 1 Timothy. My pastor pointed out that this is exactly what Paul was telling Timothy not to do. If someone would rather argue the truth over and over and over again then it's better to walk away and pray for him, which we did that night.
It's been hard not to email him and talk with him but I know already that he's been to Harvest and if he still doesn't see it after hearing you then nothing I say, or no amount of scripture shown to him will change his mind. Only God will open his ears in order for him to accept the truth.
I am going now to listen to the links.....and pray.
thanks james and congratulations on you and kathy becoming in-laws!
sharon
Posted by: Chad | June 21, 2007 10:55 AM
James,
In one of your sermons, you said that the people don't go to hell for thier own sins, they go to hell for not believing in Christ. At first I thought that was an odd statement because I never thought of it that way. I always thought that we would be sent to hell because of all the sins that we commited.
I have been going through the bible in a year with harvest and I have been reading every morning when I get up. The VERY next morning, it told me to read John 16:1-21 or something like that. I read something that was very suprising that morning. John 16:9 (NLT) says "The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me." (Jesus speaking).
I was astounded that it was so clear. Obviously, I looked it up in other translations because I know that NLT is a paraphrase, and most other translations seemed abstract and hard to understand for me (that's mainly the reason why I use NLT).
I just thought it was so cool that it said that plain as day the day after I heard your message that mentioned that.
I know that you have to battle a lot with people who always second guess you and contradict you about the things you say, so I thought I would just post here to tell you about John 16:9 to help back up your case.
There's no way that one man can know the entire bible and every reference, so I believe that we should all help each other to reference things that help us explain it better.
Hope that John 6:19 helps.
God bless.
Posted by: Joel | June 25, 2007 10:03 PM
Pastor James: I love your messages and boldness for God's word. I too, saw the comment of the man who attacking your teaching and feel bad. I would like to add to your definition on atonement.
Substitutionary death is not only Christ taking our penalty for sins, but "literally" covering our sins by his blood. The Hebrew word kippur clearly portrays this example of Christ's sacrifical death. Obeserver may want to pick up John Piper's book: Shall We Abandon the Imputation of Christ's Death for a fuller treatment on the doctrine of atonement and imputation.
Posted by: Leah | June 28, 2007 09:43 AM
Dear Pastor James I am writting you today as a healed person in my spirit due to your preaching of God's word. About 2 years ago you were in Hickory, NC and preached, I came upto you and told you my Dad had just pasted away, a pastor for over 40 years in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the man that had taken his place totally split up our church. I ask you to put our church's name on your personal prayer list, and you said you would. I don't know if you can recall me,I realize you met a lot of peole through out the country, I just wanted you to know my church has found a wondeful New Pastor that truly loves God's people and the church is being added to daily.THANK YOU!HIS grace is sufficient!! Through your radio messages you have taught me how to Praise Him at all times, (1 Corinthians 13:12) Nothing will ever make sense to us unless will live by faith, and His finished work is the oject of our faith. It has taken two years for this to happen for our church, but when its God's timing always lines up perfect. Again thank you, thank you for keeping the "Door" open for God's people to turn to!
Much love in the Lord, Leah Hardin