THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENTLECTURE SEVEN: OTHER ASPECTS OF THE ATONEMENT (SPECIAL TOPICS)

THOMASMCCALLWESLEYAN THEOLOGIAN

Thomas McCall Forsaken, 84

If we accept some doctrine of divine simplicity, it is unthinkable that, say, God’s righteous justice demands one thing while his love and mercy demand the opposite. Nor is it possible that some divine attributes (or divine persons) work for some results while others work for other results.

…Divine wrath is not the opposite of divine love. It is not even in tension with his love. Quite the contrary is true—the righteous wrath of God is the (contingent) expression of the holy love that is the essence of God.

The Trinity and Atonement:

Atonement and the Simplicity of God.

- John Duns Scotus:

‣Distinctions within God are “formal”—really distinct and really inseparable

๏e.g. Father, Son, Spirit.

๏e.g. Holy Love (Wrath and Mercy)

‣In Atonement, this is helpful because it shows that God’s wrath and love are not separate.

Questions?

The Spirit and Atonement:

The Father and Son receive a lot of attention in the discussion of Atonement, but what about the Spirit’s Role???

- What Part Does the Spirit Play in Atonement?

- Opera trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa

The Spirit and Atonement:

The means by which Christ is conceived.

The means by which Christ lives a holy life.

- We must not merely appeal to a “divine nature” at this point (Christ is guided by the Spirit).

The means by which Christ is raised.

The means by which anyone believes in Christ

- 1 Cor. 12.3: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit and Atonement:

The means by which Christ is conceived.

The means by which Christ lives a holy life.

- We must not merely appeal to a “divine nature” at this point (Christ is guided by the Spirit).

The means by which Christ is raised.

The means by which anyone believes in Christ

The means by which we are “made one” with Christ.

Resurrection & Atonement:

How does the Resurrection relate to our justification?

- Key Text: Romans 4.25: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

- What does this mean???

- If Christ took all our sin on the cross, why would we not be justified apart from his resurrection?

- Paul rejects this altogether (1 Cor. 15)

- 0

1 Corinthians 15.17

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Resurrection & Atonement:

Possible links between Resurrection and justification: (modified from A. Warnock, Raised with Christ)

1.Raised to bring about our future resurrection.

- Our future resurrection is linked to justification.

- While true, this doesn’t seem to be Paul’s point.

2.Raised to prompt faith in us.

- The resurrection inspires faith, by which we are justified.

Resurrection & Atonement:

Possible links between Resurrection and justification: (Modified from A. Warnock, Raised with Christ)

3.Raised for his own justification, by which we are also justified.

- The resurrection is proof that Christ is “in the right,”despite the verdict handed down by men.

4.Raised, so that we can be united with him by faith.

- For Paul, imputation flows from participation.

Resurrection & Atonement:

Conclusion:

- Paul, in Romans 4.25 and 1 Cor. 15.17, shows that without Resurrection, there is no Atonement.

- This should caution against purely forensic or penal substitutionary accounts of Atonement.

- It is only by our union with the risen Christ that we may be justified - this comes by the Spirit, through faith, and it REQUIRES a Resurrection.

- T.F. Torrance

THOMAS F. TORRANCE(1913-2007)SCOTTISH THEOLOGIAN ::STUDIED UNDER BARTH

T. F. Torrance

When the Protestant doctrine of justification is formulated only in terms of forensic “imputation” of righteousness or the non-imputation of sin..the resurrection is bypassed. If we think of justification only in the light of the crucifixion… then we have mutilated it severely.

We require an active relation to Christ…an actual sharing in his righteousness. This is possible only through the resurrection

(Atonement, 224).

Resurrection & Atonement:

Conclusion:

- Paul, in Romans 4.25 and 1 Cor. 15.17, shows that without Resurrection, there is no Atonement.

- This should caution against purely forensic or penal substitutionary accounts of Atonement.

- It is only by our union with the risen Christ that we may be justified - this comes by the Spirit, through faith, and it REQUIRES a Resurrection.

- T.F. Torrance