VIII. The Atonement of Christ Date: July 20, 2013 Sola: Solus Christus Aim: To understand how Christ achieves atonement for His people. A. Christ, The Mediator The New Testament emphatically affirms that access to God is through Christ alone (e.g., 1 Tim. 2:1-7). There is no claim more offensive to a pluralistic culture than the exclusivity of the person of Christ as a means of salvation. Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. The task of a mediator is to bring reconciliation between two estranged parties. Jesus is the mediator between the estranged parties of God and man. The temporal mediators of Moses, the priests, and the prophets foreshadowed the greatest mediator in the person of Christ. Only the Son of God can ultimately reconcile others to the Father. The mediating work of Christ is referred to as the obedience of Christ. Jesus performs the work of mediation in His humanity. Jesus performs the role of the second Adam. The obedience of Christ can be understood as the active obedience of Christ and the passive obedience of Christ. The atonement for our sins that Christ accomplished on the cross is central to the Gospel. The cross removes our demerits, but it offers us no merit or positive righteousness. The justification of believers requires more than Jesus death. Jesus death on the cross was the passive obedience of Christ. Jesus endured the punishment of the Father on the cross (cp. Is. 53:4, 10a). Christ receives the curse of our sins on the cross at the hand of the Father. The Father insists that Jesus drink the cup of suffering, despite His pleas to the contrary. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfies the demands of God s justice. Jesus is the propitiation or satisfaction for God s justice on the cross. Jesus not only died for our justification, but also lived for our justification. Jesus had to achieve perfect righteousness in His own life. Jesus was like us in every way except He was innocent of sin. Jesus is the only man to ever live a life of perfection. Death had no claim over Jesus because He live a perfect life. The perfect life of Christ is referred to as the active obedience of Christ. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus (Mt. 3:13-15), he could not understand why the Messiah Himself would undergo a ritual pointing to the coming of the Messiah. Baptism indicated a cleansing from sin. It was necessary for Jesus to fulfill all righteousness, that is, obey every law God had established for His people. From His birth to His death Jesus actively obeyed every letter of the Law. The basis of justification is the transfer or imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the believer. Justification is a double imputation wherein our sins are imputed to Him and His righteousness is imputed to us. The justification of believers is through Christ alone. DSB p. 35 09- Jun- 13
B. Some Definitions Atonement: reconciliation or satisfaction; make amends, repair a wrong done; state of being reconciled or at one with God; at- one- ment Expiation: act of atoning for sin; cancellation of sin does not carry with it the implication of dealing with wrath; from Latin expiara make amends; ex completely; piare appease, propitiate Propitiation: turning away of wrath by sacrifice; satisfaction; from Latin propitiare render favorable; propitious, favorable Vicarious: substitutionary Imputation: act of charging to one s account; from Latin imputare to ascribe Kapporeth: Hebrew for mercy seat; at the mercy seat sin is covered, the demands of the law are covered or shut out against the sins of God s people The guilt of our sins is expiated by the punishment Christ our vicar bore in His atonement; thus God is rendered propitious. C. Why Atonement? The Necessity of the Atonement o Atonement is necessary because of the justice of God o Man s transgression of God s law demands satisfaction o The righteousness and holiness of God, which can tolerate no sin, cannot simply overlook open defiance to His infinite majesty o God hates sin with a divine hatred (Gen. 18:25; Ex. 20:5; 23:7; Ps. 5:6-7; Nah. 1:2; Rom. 1:18, 32) o The veracity of God requires that the sentence which He has pronounced on sin should be executed (Ez. 18:4; Rom. 6:23) o The man Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5) who can reconcile a holy God with sinful men The Moving Cause of the Atonement o The good pleasure to save sinners by a substitutionary atonement was founded in the love and justice of God o The love of God offers sinners a way of escape (Jn. 3:16) o The justice of God requires the demands of the law should be met (Rom. 3:24-26) D. The Nature of the Atonement It Rendered Satisfaction to God o The atonement is not intended to influence the sinner, awaken repentence, or bring him back to God DSB p. 36 09- Jun- 13
o The atonement serves to propitiate God, and to regain His good favor by making amends for the sin committed o The primary purpose of the atonement was to reconcile God to the sinner, not the other way around o The Bible does, however, speak of the sinner being reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:19-20); this is a secondary purpose of the atonement It Was a Vicarious Atonement o Because of man s sin, God would be just in demanding personal satisfaction from the sinner o Instead of insisting on personal atonement, God appointed a vicar (substitute) in Jesus Christ to take man s place; this vicar atoned for the sin of mankind and wrought an eternal redemption for man o Thus, the offended party Himself made provision for atonement o Vicarious atonement is merciful; it is also the only effective means of assuring complete reconciliation and everlasting life o The vicarious atonement was prefigured in the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament (Lev. 1:4; 4:20, 31, 35; 5:10, 16; 6:7; 17:11) o Our sins were laid on Christ, and He bore our iniquity by giving Himself for sin and dying in our place (Is. 53:6; Jn. 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 9:28; 1 Pe. 2:24; Mk. 10:45; Rom. 8:3; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pe. 3:18; 1 Jn. 2:2) It Included Christ s Active and Passive Obedience o Active Obedience (Vicarious Live) Includes all that Christ did to observe the law in behalf of sinners, as a condition for obtaining eternal life Jesus merited eternal life for the sinner, achieving the goal which Adam failed to reach (Rom. 8:4; 10:3, 4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 4:4, 5, 7) o Passive Obedience (Vicarious Death) Includes all that Christ suffered in paying the penalty of sin and thus discharging the debt of all His people Jesus paid the penalty for sin and consequently removed the curse from man (Is. 53:6; Rom. 4:25; 1 Pe. 3:18; 1 Jn. 2:2) o Active and passive obedience cannot be separated It was part of Christ s active obedience that He subjected Himself voluntarily to suffering and death (Jn. 10:18) It was part of Christ s passive obedience that He lived in subjection to the law and moved about in the form of a servant DSB p. 37 09- Jun- 13
It Was a Double Imputation o The basis of justification is the transfer or imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the believer o Justification is a double imputation wherein our sins are imputed to Him and His righteousness is imputed to us o Jesus passive obedience pays the penalty due our sins; Jesus active obedience clothes us in His righteousness and makes us acceptable before God o The justification of believers is through Christ alone E. The Extent of the Atonement Universal Atonement o Held by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Arminians o The atonement wrought by Christ is universal; this does not mean that everyone will be saved, but that everyone has the opportunity to be saved without exception o The Father and the Son intend to make salvation available to everyone, even though in the end all are not saved o Christ made salvation possible for all men, but their actual redemption is dependent upon their own free choice Limited Atonement o Held by Reformed Christians (including us Presbyterians!) o The intent of the Father and the Son was only to save the elect, a purpose that is actually accomplished o Christ does not just make atonement possible, but He achieves reconciliation and salvation for the elect (Lk. 19:10; Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4; 3:13; Eph. 1:7) o Christ lays down His life for a qualified number of people, the elect (Mt. 1:21; Jn. 10:11, 15; Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25-27; Rom. 8:32-35) o Christ actually saves to the uttermost every one of those for whom He actually died Objections to Limited Atonement o There are passages which teach that Christ died for the world (e.g., Jn. 1:29; 3:16; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:14) The word world does not always denote all the individuals in humanity (e.g., Lk. 2:1; 12:19) In context, Jesus Christ died not merely for the Jews, but for people (individuals) of all the various nations of the world not every individual, but all kinds of individuals DSB p. 38 09- Jun- 13
o There are passages which teach that Christ died for all men (Rom. 5:18; 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Tim. 2:4, 6; Titus 2:11; Heb. 2:9; 2 Pe. 3:9) The word all sometimes has a restricted meaning in Scripture, denoting all of a particular class (1 Cor. 15:22; Eph. 1:23), or all kinds of classes (Titus 2:11) If all were taken in the absolute sense, these passages would teach that all men without exception are actually saved, something even objectors to Limited Atonement reject (cp. Rom. 5:18; 1 Cor. 15:22; Heb. 2:9, 10) o The universal offer of salvation in preaching presupposes a universal atonement Objectors claim that if Christ did not die for all men, then the offer of salvation cannot be extended to all in good faith The universal declaration of the gospel does not declare that Christ made atonement for each individual; salvation is conditioned by faith and repentance that can only be wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit The gospel is to be freely preached to all in compliance with the Lord s own command (Mt. 28:16-18); but only the elect will respond to the gospel through the grace of God and thus receive the blessings of salvation DSB p. 39 09- Jun- 13