Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Here it is.

I have to confess i lost the book i wanted to quote from and don't remember the whole of the question i sought to answer. I'll do my best to bring it out and see what happens.
Substitutionary atonement has to do with the idea that we are all guilty before God, but that Jesus suffered a horrible death and the wrath of God in our place. We deserved that punishment as retribution for our sin, but God provided atonement for OUR SIN (yours and mine) through the punishment of his son. So the question then is, was that substitutionary death sufficient for salvation? If Jesus truly did pay enough of a penalty for everyone's sin (which i tend to believe), we have to say that there is something else required for salvation besides this substitutionary atonement (since not everyone has salvation). It is atonement plus something for salvation.
Now John Murray would say that it is application of that redemption to us by the Spirit, and in that way Jesus is the surety or savior for his elect. Is this ok?
This will get us started, let us dive into scripture and discover what we can about this mystery about why i am saved.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The doctrine, substitutionary atonement, is false. No possibility exist by the rule of God in Gen. 9:5, that will allow any direct benefit for any individual or group based upon taking the life of any human male by bloodshed. This rule negates the proposal of substitutionary atonement's full value and creditability.
Further Heb. 7:12, clearly states that a change has been made to the law of God. Since there cannot be a remission of sin formulated without the shedding of blood. And considering that the residual, give account, according to Gen. 9:5 is a constant requirement of God, the life of Jesus taken by bloodshed is accountable. Not giving an account directly to God regarding the crucifixion of Jesus is a sin by the law that was added for which there is no reckoning. An accounting from each man to God is required by Jesus' crucifixion to be saved from the wrath of God.
Theodore A. Jones

Matt said...

--"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep," (John 10:11).
--"But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand," (John 10:26-28). Jesus sheep are those who believe in Him, and those who do not believe are not His sheep. He died for His sheep, those who believe in Him.
--"And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified," (Romans 8:20).
--"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins," (John 8:24).

Christ died for His sheep, and His sheep will never perish. But some say that Jesus died for everyone, even those who are suffering and perishing in hell. But if He died for them, their sins would be forgiven, and they would not be in hell. Clearly, those who are in hell have not had their sins paid for, and Christ did not die for them. This is the difference between "potential atonement" and "specific atonement." Those who rejected and reject Christ die in their sins, just as Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees who rejected Him, and thus to all people who reject Him. Substitutionary atonement is clearly the entire basis for the crucifixion of Christ (read Isaiah 53). But Christ specifically died for His sheep, just as He says. This also overlaps with the doctrine of election.