The penal substitutionary theory of the atonement holds that the most fundamental event of the atonement is that jesus christ took the full punishment that we deserved for our sins as a substitute in our place, and that all other benefits or results. Jul 12, 2018 without the penal substitutionary atonement of our lord jesus christ, there would be no gospel and no salvation for sinners. Dever is passionate about penal substitution, and also authored alongside michael lawrence it is well. Orthodox christians on penal substitutionary atonement. Penal substitution requires us to believe that god punished jesus in place of punishing us. The problems with reformed theologys penal substitution. Penal substitutionary atonement is the view that christ was a legal substitute for us on the cross and that he bore the penalty for our sins that is due to us. In christian theology, jesus christ is the substitute, and the punishment he took at the cross was ours, based on our sin 1 peter 2. For those of you wondering, wright is a british new testament scholar who ranks among the top 2 or 3 most prolific, somewhat controversial, and influential churchmen on either side of the pond in a wide variety of. For many, commitment to penal substitutionary atonement psa has eroded. Feb 22, 2017 tom wright explains why we shouldnt separate christus victor and penal substitution views of the atonement from each other or the rest of the gospels. Its a theory which i have argued against openly and often, ive written extensively against it in my book we belong.
The heretical doctrine of penal substitution was completely absent from the church for over 1,000 years, and was only introduced by anselm of canterbury in the eleventh century. Penal means legal as in penalcolony jesus was made under the law galatians 4. Who first clearly formulated the penal substitution theory. The penal substitutionary theory of the atonement holds that the most fundamental event of the atonement is that jesus christ took the full punishment that we deserved for our sins as a substitute in our place, and that all other benefits or results of the atonement find their anchor in this truth. As for me, i think your comments might be ok for theology scholars, but i also think you are courting controversy by promoting c s lewis among your less scholarly readers. Jan 02, 2020 so, penal substitution is the act of a person taking the punishment for someone elses offenses. Though wright does not affirm this doctrine within the standard reformed categories, the concept of jesus the righteous one dying in the place of the sinner and thus taking upon himself the wrath of god is clearly espoused.
This we call penal substitutionary atonement jesus reconciled sinners to god by being their substitute punishment. Penal substitution is the heart of the gospel the gospel. Atonement and penal substituion in the bible and history 0001842275410. Vlach assistant professor of theology recently, at least since t he ei ghteent hcent ury l iber ali sm gained a plac e in pro testant ism, the penalsubstitution view of christs atonement has come under attack. Consider recommending these five books on this precious doctrine to your. Flood, substitutionary atonement and the church fathers in evangelical quarterly 82. Jun 03, 2015 penal substitution as a theory of atonement in the early church fathers date. Nothing more is needed than scripture itself to offer a sound and thorough refutation of any view opposing a penal substitutionary atonement. Penal substitutionary atonement has been the most difficult subject i. In this book stephen holmes offers an accessible and authoritative account of the way the saving work of jesus is presented in the bible, and has been understood throughout christian history. Why i have changed my mind about penal substitution banner of. As the name suggests, the doctrine comprises theological principles like a penalty for sin, a substitutionary saviour, and a particular vision of the atonement. Whereas the orthodox church has rejected protestant doctrines like justification by faith alone and double predestination, there has yet to be a formal condemnation of the theory of penal substitutionary atonement. This means that it is difficult to draw a clearcut blackandwhite distinction between protestant and orthodox soteriologies.
If asked what jesus came to do and how he did it, most contemporary western christians would automatically say something like, jesus took the punishment from god that i deserved. It was not his own penalty that he bore, but he was a substitute for others, for those who would be joined to him by faith. However, evangelicals almost unanimously interpret the cross in terms of what has come to be known as the penal substitutionary theory of the atonement revisiting penal substitution, journal for baptist theology and ministry, vol. In this book, stephen holmes offers an accessible and authoritative account of the way the saving work of jesus is presented in the bible, and has been understood throughout christian history. It argues that christ, by his own sacrificial choice, was punished penalised in the place of sinners substitution, thus satisfying the demands of justice so god can justly forgive the sins. The catholic view of substitutionary atonement, credited to anselm and refined by aquinas, sees satisfaction not as a debt paid to god, but as an act of salvific love by christ. I have a problem with propitiatory satisfactional atonement.
John calvin wrote that jesus christ was made a substitute and a surety in the place of transgressors and even submitted as a criminal, to sustain and suffer all the punishment which would have been inflicted on them institutes 2. The three middle points unconditional election, definite atonement, and irresistible grace demonstrate how the persons of the godhead work together inseparably in our salvation. Wellum is a professor of christian theology at the southern baptist theological seminary in louisville, kentucky and editor of the southern baptist. Penal means legal as in penal colony jesus was made under the law galatians 4. It asks us to reason that god is only just and not merciful.
This new view of substitutionary atonement emphasized punishment over satisfaction and paralleled criminal law. Nov 26, 2015 in a previous article i pointed out how jerome, cyril of alexandria, and athanasius all described the atonement similar to terms used by calvin john calvin wrote that jesus christ was made a substitute and a surety in the place of transgressors and even submitted as a criminal, to sustain and suffer all the punishment which would have been inflicted on them institutes 2. Current controversy over penal substitutionary atonement psa. Definition of penal substitutionary atonement psa there are a lot of theories out there on the atonement of jesus christ theories that have been presented throughout church history 1 ransom to satan, 2 recapitulation, 3 satisfaction, 4 moral influence, 5 example, 6 governmental, 7 dramatic, 8 barthian, and 9 penal substitution. Today, the phrase substitutionary atonement is often correctly or incorrectly used to refer to the penal theory of atonement. Unless otherwise noted, all bible verses are from the world english bible web. It is not enough to simply identify substitutionary or even penal themes in the writings of the church fathers, and assume that this is an endorsement of the reformed understanding of penal substitution.
Discussing theology with our protestant brothers and sisters is often interesting, but it can also be quite frustrating. When i began reading theological books and exploring the faith for myself, i grew. The book to end penal substitutionary atonement stephen d. Defending penal substitutionary atonement evidence unseen. What is even more devastating for the antipst view than the historical evidence in church history is a careful exegesis of the text of scripture. But in scripture, in theology, and in church history, i kept staring at the death of. Sep 11, 2012 ill come clean and say that im a huge n. C s lewis had a defective view of salvation and was an opponent of the substitutionary and penal view of the atonement. So, penal substitution is the act of a person taking the punishment for someone elses offenses. The book also offers background to the debates about penal substitutionary atonement by looking at that idea in biblical and historical perspective. Penal substitution is at the heart of the atonement, and therefore the gospel of jesus christ, and yet there are other aspects that are beautifully and powerfully affirmed in scripture and need to be presented at length so that we can properly engage with people and encourage our churches. This series touches the surface of 2,000 years of complex theological process. Penal substitution as a theory of atonement in the early.
Definite atonement is the centerpiece, says wilson. When i first began reading theological books and exploring the faith for myself. Penal substitutionary atonement psa is not a single doctrine. Our friend ben holloway, an evangelical theologian in the making, and one that seems to have been disturbed enough by my article on the heresy of penal substitution as to take me to task on his blog, misses the really core issue of the nature of our redemption, which is from death, not from the anger or justice of the father. He absorbed in his person gods righteous wrath against us, because of.
The new atheists speak of christs atonement with the most derisive of language. The real history of penal substitutionary atonement youtube. Kevin kennedy, assistant professor of theology at southwestern baptist theological seminary in fort worth, tx. Oct 18, 2014 definite atonement is the centerpiece, says wilson. Wright denies penal substitution trevin wax april 24, 2007. We kids could recount the story of the train driver whose son had fallen into the. Penal substitutionary atonement through the ages trinity.
Why do i focus on the penal substitutionary theory of the. But unlike penal substitution, they fail to grasp the central problem that the cross remedies, namely our sin before god. Craig truglia 50 comments john calvin wrote that jesus christ was made a substitute and a surety in the place of transgressors and even submitted as a criminal, to sustain and suffer all the punishment which would have been inflicted on them. Future 9marks articles delivered subscribe to 9marks articles today. He is dealing with what he calls caricatures of the cross, correcting so many bad arguments against penal substitutionary atonement by pointing out that they are based on misunderstandings of the. And actually, it draws from even more theological first principles than this list. What is the penal substitutionary atonement theory. Below is a collection of quotes from each era of church history to show how prevalent and central penal substitution has been and still is to christian orthodoxy and to the gospel message itself. But can the historical evidence bear the weight of.
Atonement and penal substitution in the bible and history, has one central thesis. This false teaching of penal substitution was ultimately developed as seen in the west today, by 16thcentury reformers. In particular, the book offers background to the current debates about penal substitutionary aton. Penal substitution in church history 201 3millard erickson, christi an theology grand rapids. Current controversy over penal substitutionary atonement. Jun 27, 2017 the most concerning issues i have with psa are not the penal and substitutionary aspects, but the propitiatory and satisfactional elements within the classic reformed view of psa. Jan 11, 2018 where christus victor, for example, is a wonderful model to describe cosmic redemption, substitutionary atonement is about my salvation. This is indeed the charge that is sometimes leveled against the argument that penal substitution is an essential element of a biblical view of the atonement. It does make me wish it went into more detail on the historical theology.
Dec 10, 2015 10 problems with the penal substitution view of the atonement. Such troubling statements as a denial of penal substitution is a denial of christianity itself, either proves that no one was ever saved before calvinism, or that those that would make such ridiculously stupid claims are arrogantly ignorant of christian history, without love for their christian brothers, or incompetent expounders of the word. The most concerning issues i have with psa are not the penal and substitutionary aspects, but the propitiatory and satisfactional elements within the classic reformed view of psa. In christus victor, the atonement is viewed as divine conflict and victory over the hostile powers that hold humanity in subjection. Jul 29, 2016 what is even more devastating for the antipst view than the historical evidence in church history is a careful exegesis of the text of scripture. So, there are three things that constitute the theory of penal substitution.
I use it because the web is in the public domain not ed. Offers an account of the way the saving work of jesus is presented in the bible, and has been understood throughout christian history. The penalsubstitution theory of the atonement was formulated by the 16th century reformers as an extension of anselms satisfaction theory. Mar 21, 2011 is the penal substitutionary understanding of the atonement a novel idea held mainly by the reformers and their theological offspring. The wikipedia article on penal substitution states in its opening paragraph penal substitution sometimes, esp.
Jul 08, 2017 our friend ben holloway, an evangelical theologian in the making, and one that seems to have been disturbed enough by my article on the heresy of penal substitution as to take me to task on his blog, misses the really core issue of the nature of our redemption, which is from death, not from the anger or justice of the father. This book is a great survey of the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. The heresy of penal substitution the morning offering. A lot of leaders who reject penal substitution will say that it was invented by calvin or anselm and that the early church held to christus victor or ransom theories of the atonement. Southern baptist convention on the necessity of penal. Various atonement theologies emphasize many biblical truths and entailments of the cross. It argues that christ, by his own sacrificial choice, was punished penalised in the place of sinners substitution, thus. Penal substitution is a theory of the atonement within christian theology, which argues that. In other words, i dont have a problem with penal substitutionary atonement. Holy love and the shape of grace writes, for wesley, christ makes compensation. Next, heres a big long quote from an easilyaccessed online article in which he is critiquing a lecture by dr.
The task which i have set myself in this lecture is to focus and explicate a belief which, by and large, is a distinguishing mark of the wordwide evangelical fraternity. Resolved, that the messengers to the southern baptist convention meeting in phoenix, arizona, june 14, 2017, reaffirm the truthfulness, efficacy, and beauty of the biblical doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement as the burning core of the gospel message and the only hope of a. In particular, the book offers background to the current debates about penal substitutionary atonement by looking at that idea in biblical and historical. Arguably, the most wellknown, modern scholarly book on the atonement is. Though wright does not affirm this doctrine within the standard reformed categories. John calvin wrote that jesus christ was made a substitute and a surety in the place of transgressors and even submitted as a criminal, to sustain and suffer all the punishment which would.
Substitutionary atonement, also called vicarious atonement, is the idea that jesus died for us, as propagated by the classic and objective paradigms of atonement in christianity, which regard jesus as dying as a substitute for others, instead of them. Penal substitutionary atonement refers to the doctrine that christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners. Who first clearly formulated the penal substitution theory of. Definition of penal substitutionary atonement psa there are a lot of theories out there on the atonement of jesus christ theories that have been presented throughout church history 1 ransom to satan, 2 recapitulation, 3 satisfaction, 4 moral influence, 5 example, 6 governmental, 7 dramatic, 8 barthian, and 9 penal.
Where christus victor, for example, is a wonderful model to describe cosmic redemption, substitutionary atonement is about my salvation. Penalsubstitutionary atonement in church history reformed. Chapter 5 provides a thorough survey of historical figures which demonstrates that substitutionary atonement has characterized all periods of church history. We must inform the criticism of a penal substitutionary doctrine of the atonement by noting that the bible everywhere views human death not as a natural but as a penal event. Church history penal substitutionary atonement the gospel. He absorbed in his person gods righteous wrath against us, because of our sin, that we might be free from sin and its penalty and liberated to enjoy such a person forever. Substitutionary atonement wikipedia republished wiki 2. Substitutionary atonement, or the paid penalty theory, has only been accepted doctrine for about years, and it has never been orthodox in the east. Why i have changed my mind about penal substitution. For instance, many protestants, particularly those from the reformed traditions, passionately and firmly hold to the doctrine of penal substitution.
According to the doctrine of penal substitution, gods perfect justice demands some form of atonement for. If you want a more detailed explanation, id recommend oxenhams book on the subject. Expositions on substitutionary atonement, a collection of sermons on key ot and nt texts regarding the atonement. Is it true that many believe a doctrine of the atonement that began. Substitutionary atonement has been explicated in the classic paradigm of the early church fathers, namely the ransom theory, as well as in gustaf aulens demystified reformulation, the christus victor theory. Every atonement view stresses something biblical about the cross. Rediscovering the glory of penal substitution crossway, 2007 by steve jeffrey, michael ovey, and andrew sach. The citations below are drawn from pierced for our transgressions. Nothing more is needed than scripture itself to offer a sound and thorough refutation of any. The book to end penal substitutionary atonement stephen. Christus victor christ the victor is a view of the atonement taken from the title of gustaf aulens groundbreaking book, first published in 1931, where he drew attention back to the early churchs ransom theory. Penal substitutionary atonement has been the most difficult subject i have written on.
Stephen r holmes in this book stephen holmes offers a readable and authoritative account of the way in which the saving work of jesus is presented in the bible, and has been understood throughout christian history. When i think about the penal substitutionary atonement, i think of the story, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. Historical reflections on substitutionary atonement fuller studio. Penal substitutionary atonement noncatholic religions. How does penal substitution relate to other atonement. God imputed the guilt of our sins to christ, and he, in our place, bore the punishment that we deserve. One can clearly see an affirmation of the penal substitutionary atonement throughout the theology of n.
It doesnt get any more personal christianity today. Penal substitutionary atonement is a theory which attempts to explain the meaning and purpose of christs death, how jesus death saves and what it means for. The substitutionary atonement of jesus christ on the cross. Jeffrey johns as well as a recent book on the subject.
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