Atonement

There have been several threads on various aspects of the atonement (mostly on the Penal Substitution Theory). Throughout I've been challenged on my position - which is a good thing - but no one has really asked me what I believe - which is perhaps not so much a good thing. Since we can't prove a negative, I thought I would also provide what I believe to be true in terms of the Cross.

I believe that while we were enemies of God we were reconciled to Him through Christ’s death and having been reconciled we are saved by His life. Christ died for all so that all men might no longer live for themselves but for Him, who died and rose again on our behalf. It was God’s predetermined plan that Christ suffer and die at the hands of godless men. But God raised Him up on the third day, gaining us victory over sin and death.

Jesus is the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sins of the world, dying once for all when He offered up Himself. Jesus gave Himself for our sins so He might rescue us from this present evil age. And having become a curse for us He redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Jesus Himself is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquities. Men esteemed Him as stricken and afflicted by God, but the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. For Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

He had to be made like us in all things. So He came in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned sin in the flesh. And being found in the likeness of men Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient even to death. This is why God exalted Him and gave Him a nave above all others – that at His name all will bow and confess that Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

It is for this reason that the Father loves the Son – because he lay down his life to take it up again.

The Father loved the world by giving His only Son. On the cross God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. He caused the iniquity of us all to fall on His Son, displaying Him publically as a propitiation in His blood through faith. God loved us and sent Christ to be the propitiation for our sins. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. He sent His own Son, His Beloved, in the likeness of corruptible flesh.

And as through Adam’s transgression mankind was condemned, so also through Christ’s one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

 

I believe what I posted.

Insofar as God needing something for Him to be holy, I disagree. God is holy. Period.

You asked what I believe and I told you. Interact with this, not what I have not stated.

 

I just told you what I believe.

I believe it was God's predetermined plan Christ suffer and die at the hands of godless men.

 

It was God's predetermined plan that Christ suffer and die at the hands of godless men.

 

I don't know the answer to many of the questions that arise when considering this topic, but I do believe that it was through Adam that sin entered the world.

 

Yes. This is what I take "predetermined" to mean. God determined beforehand that Christ would suffer and die at the hands of ungodly men.

 

Very true, and applicable to the doctrine. There is purpose to the Cross.

God sent His Son that all who believe would have eternal life. Those who do not believe have been judged already, because they do note believe in the Son. The judgment is that the Light has come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.

Those you speak of (in John 8) would fall into the category of those who reject the Light. They do not know Christ, for if they did know Him then they would also know His Father. They will seek Him, but they will die in their sins unless they believe that He is the Messiah.

Very Christ-centered teachings.

 

I agree completely with this statement.

On the Cross God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men’s trespasses against them. Christ died for all so that tall men might no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

When we are “placed in Christ” we are made to die to the Law through the body of Christ so that we may be joined to Him (you could use marriage as an illustration). In other words, we are released from the law and freed from the bondage of sin and death. Our minds now serve the law of God while our flesh struggles with the law of sin. But there is no condemnation for those in Christ because the Spirit of life has set us free form this law of sin and death and we are joint heirs with Christ – clothed with His righteousness.

 

Please provide the statement that you are addressing (provide the quote) so that I can address your misunderstanding. While I understand what you are saying, I do not know how you wring it out of my stated belief.

Thanks.