Atonement
This short paper is intended to examine the scriptures that relate to the scope and power of atonement. There are many other aspects of atonement (necessity of, mechanism of, etc.) that we will not deal with herein, at least not in depth. These topics are all connected with the one at hand and would be appropriate to study to add further depth to the basic concepts we shall establish in this work. It is important to logically orient our facts in the order of primacy that they deserve in answering the question, however, so nothing that is discovered outside of this treatment will, we believe and assert, contradict the scriptures we shall examine, being many of the primary texts relating to the power and scope of the blessed atonement provided by the grace of God through our most wonderful and exalted Lord Jesus Christ. Once the power and scope of atonement are established, we can move on to understanding the particulars freely and with confidence in the foundation already laid. To Him be Glory in the Church and in our lives as He works out the plan of the ages in loving service to our mighty Father God and for the happiness and exceedingly great joy of all!
What is the scope and power of Atonement?
First, we must deal with the scriptures describing atonement directly and the scope that is stated.
Romans 5 is a primary text in this regard:
Rom. 5:1 Therefore, since
we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, 2 through
whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And
we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint
us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us.
Rom. 5:6 You see, at just
the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die
for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to
die. 8 But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
A key principle here is that the
work of atonement was done by God for us in Jesus Christ when we were powerless
and when we did not look for His help. In other words, Atonement is GodÕs
peculiar and particular work, which was accomplished by an interaction or
transaction between the Father and the Son. It is not manÕs work (as Romans 8
tells us Ð Ònot of works lest any man should boastÓ) it is the work of God by
justifying us, which is to say, making us right before God and then giving us
the faith to receive this truth, which again is GodÕs work. This is not to say
man has no responsibility in life. It IS indeed to say that the most important
work has been solely reserved to the hand of God and His sovereign design and
action. God does not leave the question of ManÕs destiny in the hands of Man.
God, as the loving father and sovereign of the universe, reserves and commands
that responsibility to Himself. As we consider whether salvation belongs to Man
or God or some combination thereof, we can have confidence when we understand
that it is not within ManÕs ability to chose his ultimate destiny. Were it
possible for Man to make that most important choice, we would live in constant
fear and dread for ourselves, our loved ones and indeed all mankind, for we are
fickle creatures, changing our minds often and unable to stay the course
consistently even when we do make up our minds. If we admit our true ability
and nature, we will be much better off than if we live in a fantasy world of an
exalted Òsovereign will of ManÓ that simply doesnÕt exist!
No, God reserved and preserved the
choice of salvation to Himself. This is at once obvious and clear when we
consider the question logically and without prejudice and without attempting to
puff ourselves up. Why would a sovereign and wise God leave such a momentous
question in the hands of mortal, failing creatures? Such would be, at the
minimum, an extremely bad idea, especially given the fact that God knows full
well how fickle we are! Of course, some will set up a straw man argument at
this point (if you are unfamiliar with the term Straw Man Argument, please look
it up) and say that ÒGod doesnÕt create robotsÓ. By God reserving the
determination of salvation to Himself, He has not created a robot. In many
areas of life, we do not have authority but that does not make us robots. It is
a plainly false and illogical accusation that, because God reserves the
question of our salvation to Himself, we are robots since we clearly have other
choices that God has delegated to us to make! If we were robots, this would not
be the case. Further, this argument tries to say that Man has ultimate
sovereignty in his own choices, which is obviously not true. Many of the most
important things that shape how we decide things in life are out of our
control. We make choices based on our hormonal make-up, whether we are
male or female, what time in history we were born in, what country we were born
in, the nutritional choices of our parents, the financial status of ourselves
and our community, our genetic predisposition to certain personality traits, etc.
All of these push us in one direction or another and affect our choices and
limit or coerce our will. Thus, we have very limited choices in life, based on
our construction at birth and our environment. We are not completely free of
outside influence. Our choices are pushed and pulled and molded by many factors
outside of our control, thus we are not Òfree moral agentsÓ in any kind of
complete sense. This should be obvious to all. But these influences do not make
us robots either. We have some choices and God has reserved to Himself some
choices regarding us. He holds us accountable for the choices He has delegated
into our authority and He drives us to other conform to the choices He has made
in His authority. This is clear throughout scripture, especially when dealing
with the situation of the hardening of PharoahÕs heart, the forced conversion
of Paul on the road, the calling of each of the disciples when commanded by
Jesus to follow and so many other examples. God ÒforcedÓ each situation. When
it comes to salvation, God is not a gentleman! And praise God that He is not!
He knows that decision is too great for us and therefore we can have
confidence, not in our own decision which we can revoke at any time and canÕt
be depended on to make in the first place, but rather in the power, love,
wisdom and sovereignty of God. To rob God of the choice in salvation is, in
this writerÕs determination, to set up Man as a God. The determination of who
will ultimately be in GodÕs kingdom is that momentous of a choice.
Rom. 5:9 Since we have now
been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from GodÕs wrath
through him!
We are told that Atonement saves
us from GodÕs wrath in some way. Does that mean, in light of other scriptures,
that we do not undergo any punishment? Hebrews 12 tells us that God Òscourges
every son whom he receivesÓ. We DO receive punishment that leads to correction.
In light of the Atonement, however, we know that we do not suffer the wrath of
God that is the legal result of our sinful lives. Remember, this discussion of
Atonement by Paul speaks to the ultimate work of Christ on the Cross for us and
our ultimate position in Him, not necessarily all the specific details and the
timing of each of our individual realization of the atonement. The full wrath
that is deserved by our sin would utterly destroy us. The Atonement will save
us from this full wrath of God.
10 For if, when we were
GodÕs enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much
more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we
also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation.
Notice again the explanation that
we were reconciled while we were enemies, not when we ÒaskedÓ Him to save us.
This is an important distinction to make since it was not Man that asked for or
even knew he needed reconciliation, but rather God knew we needed it and
provided it as an unasked for gift when we were still enemies of God. Think in
terms of what this would mean were it applied to us and our enemies. It would
mean that we gave our enemy the greatest gift we could give when our enemy
still hated us and didnÕt want anything from us. This is the kind of love and
the kind of gift in atonement that God has provided. Not a response to our
asking for a relationship with Him, but His providing it to us when we didnÕt
want it. That is a true miraculous gift and it clearly shows that ALL the glory
for salvation and atonement for our sin accrues to God alone!!
Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just
as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this
way death came to all men, because all sinned Ñ 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the
world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned
from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by
breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
Here we have a discussion of how
sin entered the world. This is crucial because Paul is here building a
comparative case between Sin and Atonement. It will be important to fully
understand this comparison when we get to Atonement.
What we see here is that through a
single man (Adam), all people have inherited sin. One man, one transaction
doomed the entire creation to be caught and bound in sin. Part of what is being
communicated here is the concept of inheritance with regard to our basic
condition of life and death. Because of AdamÕs sin, we have inherited death,
which puts us out of fellowship with God. It is clear here that we did not fall
out of fellowship with God because of our own actions, but rather because we
have what might be referred to as a genetic inheritance from Adam. That
inheritance is Sin and Death, the dual operation of rebellion to God. Every
person conceived since the time of Adam has had this inheritance and is
therefore under the curse and condemnation of sin. Every person conceived is
also out of fellowship with God because of this inheritance. Some will complain
that it is not fair that we have sin and death and are out of fellowship with
God through no fault of our own. Indeed this would be unfair according to
Biblical standards of fairness if God did not provide a complete remedy. So
while there appears to be temporary unfairness, it is only because it sets the
stage for a greater good that affects all those who have been affected by the
inherited sin and death. Keep in mind this principle of inheritance as we move
forward and understand GodÕs remedy. Remember that logically, the remedy must
be at least equal to the curse.
It is here important to call out a
specific problem with the translation. Romans 5:12 above, as translated,
doesnÕt make much sense. In essence, as translated above, it tells us that we
all inherited sin from Adam BECAUSE we all sinned. But this is contrary to the
rest of the passage as well as to common sense and logic. The word translated
BECAUSE is the Greek phrase Eph Ho and, in looking at other passages in which
these words appear and their context, thi means Òon whichÓ. In other words, sin
and death entered in the world ON WHICH we all then sin. This is in perfect
concord with this passage and others uses of that Greek phrase. Because we inherit
sin from Adam, we then commit sin and have death from our first moment of
existence.
To further illustrate this point,
Paul tells us that Sin and Death
are two parts of the same equation. Two sides of a single coin, so to speak.
Death comes simultaneously because of Sin. If we didnÕt have death until we
commit a single sin (which would be case if we were to say death comes because
we sin), then abortion would be impossible for the child in the womb has not
sinned. But this is not the case. The child in the womb has sin and death not
Òbecause all sinnedÓ or because he/she sinned, but rather because he inherited
from Adam Òon whichÓ he will sin later. Therefore, he is mortal and can die.
Any other interpretation does violence to the Greek language, grammar and
syntax and to simple logic and common sense.
How Effective was ChristÕs
Work?
Rom. 5:15 But the gift is
not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how
much more did GodÕs grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man,
Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
First, we are told that the Gift
(atonement) is greater in some way than the original trespass. How? The rest of
the passage defines the ÒgreaternessÓ in terms of scope of application and
scope of result. Scope of application is how many does the gift apply to. When
he says it applies to ÒmanyÓ, how do we understand what ÒmanyÓ means? Clearly,
we all understand that ÒmanyÓ in this scripture means Òeveryone ever bornÓ. We
are compelled by logic and consistency to carry this meaning through the rest
of PaulÕs dealing with this thought. Some have tried to define ÒmanyÓ as two
different things in the same thought, which militates against sound thinking,
logic and grammar. To make that assertion is to complete destroy the meaning of
the passage and to completely confuse any possible consistency and logic.
We also see that the ÒgreaternessÓ
here discussed has to do with the qualitative aspect of the atonement being
greater than the qualitative degradation of the original sin.
Remember our discussion above of
inheritance. We see here that the ÒgiftÓ and ÒgraceÓ are the remedies to the
trespass. It is very important to recognize that ÒgiftÓ and ÒgraceÓ are both actions
taken by God, outside of the choice and will of the trespasser! In other words,
just as the trespasser (sinner) did nothing to inherit AdamÕs sin and death,
they also did nothing to cause God to give a gift (which we all understand as
being one sided) and grace (which is unmerited, unasked for favor). Again, we
see that Paul is making clear that God is the mover in these things, not Man.
Is it any wonder that He declares, ÒSalvation belongs to the LordÓ (Ps. 3,
Jonah 2,) and Ògrace is not of works, lest any man should boastÓ (Eph. 2)?
To recap Romans 5:15, we can only
conclude that the same group Òthe manyÓ that inherited sin and death from Adam
will inherit grace and atonement from Christ. And remember, it is not by man
that atonement comes (not by mans ability or by mans choice, as Paul proved
earlier in the passage) but rather the particular work of God alone. Jesus was
correct when we said that no one comes to God except God draws them and He was
also correct when he said that, if He (Jesus) were lifted up on the cross, He
would drag (the literal Greek translation of the word sometimes translated
draw) ALL men to Himself. If we limit the ÒmanyÓ that atonement applies to in
the above verse, we are forced by logic and grammar to equally limit the ÒmanyÓ
that sin applies to. If we do this, we are saying that some do not inherit sin.
This is clearly untrue and therefore, we cannot logically limit the many that
atonement applies to without utterly destroying the passage and any hope of
understanding it.
Paul makes clear again the
principle of inheritance in comparing the work of Adam, which brought sin and
death, with the work of Christ that brings life and fellowship with God. Both
are done by one man, both apply to the exact same scope of people and both pass
to those people through inheritance at some point. Paul does not here discuss
the mechanism for inheriting either, however. We understand that it is our
Conception that is the mechanism for us to inherit Adamic sin. It is not later;
it is from the womb. We understand that the mechanism by which all inherit life
is our Confession of Christ. It does not happen all at once, obviously, just as
all people are not born all at once, but Christ made clear that all people
WOULD indeed Confess with their tongue (Phil 2:11, Rom. 14:11, Is. 45:23) and
that Òconfession is made to salvationÓ (Rom. 10:10). Jesus said it in John
12:32, ÒAnd I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
me.Ó The word here translated draw, as we have previously mentioned, is the
same Greek word used later by Paul to indicate the method by which people
compel each other to go to court and is there translated ÒdragÓ. Obviously, one
does not cajole or ask another to come to court for a lawsuit Ð they force them
to. Perhaps we are uncomfortable with Christ over-ruling our supposed Òfree
willÓ but nevertheless, this is what He said He would do. Indeed, for Paul to
be correct in Romans 5, Christ promised that He WILL do it! There is no other
option for us to understand these things and maintain sound thinking and logic.
16 Again, the gift of God
is not like the result of the one manÕs sin: The judgment followed one sin and
brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought
justification. 17 For if,
by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much
more will those who receive GodÕs abundant provision of grace and of the gift
of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Here is the seeming ÒoutÓ that
some have tried to say limits atonement. Òthose who receiveÓ. Some fundamental
errors are made in attempting this slight of hand trick with the passage.
First, we have already established on the authority of Jesus that no one
receives GodÕs grace unless God moves them too. Therefore, the rest of passage
that shows that God will make all receive His grace (which is the only way any
one can receive it) is not abrogated by this statement. Logically, our only
option for understanding this verse is within the context of the rest of the
passage. It is simply saying that WHEN we receive GodÕs provision (or providing
of) grace it is so much greater and more wonderful in comparison in scope than
the sin. Since we all receive Christ at different times, the above naturally
tells us that the Òreceiving of ChristÓ allows us to Òreign in lifeÓ. It does
not deal with scope or quantity, as those have already been established by
Paul, but rather deals with quality of life. This would seem obvious, but we
have heard of those trying to wrest this scripture out of context and redefine
the scope based on
Rom. 5:18 Consequently,
just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the
result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all
men. 19 For just as through
the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the
obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
One must ask, why does Paul make
the statements he does in verses 18 and 19. They seem almost redundant, do they
not? They are a repetition of what
we have previously heard in this chapter, that one act of sin brings sin to a
certain group (also known as everyone who has ever lived) and that a counterbalancing
act of righteousness of another, Jesus Christ, brings the cure to that same
group (everyone who has ever lived).
It would appear that Paul states
this these 2 last times in this chapter because the reality of it is difficult
for us to truly believe and therefore he wants to be absolutely sure we
understand his meaning and what he is teaching about atonement! Clearly, again,
Paul is painting a picture about a group that is called in verse 18 by the name
Òall menÓ. Paul says that one trespass, that of Adam, brought condemnation to
this group. How many of this group participate? There is no choice in the
matter. All receive the condemnation because they inherit it from Adam. And
then again, he says that one act of righteousness brings life for that same
group. For PaulÕs logic and grammar to work, the result must be the same in
scope and reverse the condemnation. So Paul tells us in a clear and unambiguous
equation that the cure is inherited (remember our discussion of inheritance
above) just like the sin was inherited.
It therefore affects the same group.
Then in verse 19, we have Paul
stating it in slightly different terms. Here Paul draws the same equation
again, saying the affected group is the same. In this one, however, Paul tells
us that the sin that was inherited by all people (Òthe manyÓ in this verse we
understand to be everyone because we know that everyone has inherited sin Ð we
cannot limit the many in this verse to a group less than everyone who has ever
been born without saying that some have not inherited sin) and as a result of this
inheritance of sin from Adam, they were Òmade sinnersÓ. They had no choice.
They were ÒmadeÓ that way by the external act of their first parent. No one has
a problem with this idea. Some have a problem with the second half of the
verse, even though it is a repetition of the previous parts of the chapter.
Paul says that because of ChristÕs work on the cross, Òthe manyÓ (the same
group as the first part of the verse) will Òbe madeÓ righteous. Again, just as
Òthe manyÓ had no choice in being Òmade sinnersÓ, they have no choice in being
Òmade righteousÓ. We cannot twist this verse to give them a choice in being
Òmade righteousÓ without the corresponding choice of whether or not they are
Òmade sinnersÓ. This is where the critic of the idea of universal reconciliation
has no logical, grammatically possible escape. If you limit the number of
people within Òthe manyÓ that are Òmade righteousÓ, you must also limit
the number of people that are
contained within Òthe manyÓ that are Òmade sinnersÓ. By doing this, you
effectively contradict scripture that says that Òall have sinned and fall short
of the glory of GodÓ. You cannot change the meaning of the words in one part of
a sentence, such as the meaning of Òthe manyÓ, and still retain any meaning.
Under normal circumstances, everyone would say, Òwell, thatÕs so obvious a rule
of language that a first grader knows itÓ. However, in this case, so many
people have a problem with the clear language of Paul that they succumb to the
temptation to do violence to this passage by changing the meaning of words from
one part of the sentence to the other. It is true that the meanings of these
words could be different in different passages, depending on the context. But
the same words and phrases within a specific sentence must retain their
meanings throughout. There is no other option.
Similarly, we cannot change the
meaning of the word ÒmadeÓ within the context of the sentence. If we say that
the ÒmadeÓ referring to those Òmade righteousÓ is some kind of less than
absolute action and therefore may depend on the action or choice of the
individual, we are forced to do the same for the same word when applied earlier
in the sentence to those who were Òmade sinnersÓ. No one is willing to do that
(at least no one with a respect for scriptures and rational thinking) so
therefore no one should be willing to do that with regard to being Òmade
righteousÓ. Just as no one has a choice in being Òmade sinnersÓ, no one will
ultimately have a choice in being Òmade righteousÓ. This is what the scripture
says and, as uncomfortable for some as it may be, we are obligated to God to
believe Him!
The methodology, as described
elsewhere in the scripture, by which each are Òmade righteousÓ is the one we
all understand: confession of Jesus Christ. And the scriptures assures us, as
we have already discovered, that Òevery kneeÓ will bow and Òevery tongueÓ will
confess. These scriptures are so clear that it baffles the logical thinker
about how people can arrive at an alternative conclusion. But so strong is our
emotional need to be above others, different from the rest or have something
that someone else doesnÕt have, that we set rational thinking aside when it
comes to the ultimate destiny of all. To say that all people will, as declared
clearly by these verses, ultimately have a position in GodÕs kingdom makes
people emotionally uneasy. Therefore, they emotionally rebel against logic and
interpret these verses in a way that destroys the meaning. The objection is, at
itÕs root, emotional not logical. But emotionalism is not a good interpretive
tool. We should allow the mind of Christ, which is organized and logical, to
rule our reading. If we do so, we will not be caught in emotional objections to
the reconciliation of all.
Rom. 5:20 The law was added
so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased
all the more, 21 so that,
just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness
to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gal 1:
3 Grace be to you and peace
from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might
deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our
Father:
Col 1:15-20
15 Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him: 17 And he is
before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is
the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have
the preeminence. 19 For it
pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace
through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by
him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Rom 3:
23 For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God; 24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set
forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance
of God; 26 To declare, I
say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus.
II Cor. 5:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting menÕs sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore ChristÕs ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on ChristÕs behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Gal 3:
Gal. 3:10 All who rely on
observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ÒCursed is everyone who does not
continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.Ó 11 Clearly no one is justified
before God by the law, because,
ÒThe righteous will live by faith.Ó 12 The law is not based on faith; on the
contrary, ÒThe man who does these
things will live by them.Ó 13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it
is written: ÒCursed is everyone
who is hung on a tree.Ó 14
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the
Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of
the Spirit.
Eph 2:
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions Ñ it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith Ñ and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God Ñ 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are GodÕs workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Acts 20:
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
I Cor 6:20
19 Do you not know that
your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received
from God? You are not your own; 20
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
I Cor. 7:23
19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping GodÕs commands is what counts. 20 Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. 21 Were you a slave when you were called? DonÕt let it trouble you Ñ although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the LordÕs freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is ChristÕs slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.