Establishing the coherence of the Scriptural teaching on the atonement

Don Carson has written a great article on why the doctrine of penal substitution comes so readily under attack [HT: Mike Gilbart-Smith].

I particularly found the section I've quoted below helpful. Talking to some people recently, one does walk away with the impression that certain views of the cross can be freely ignored or dismissed as just conjectures from a particular viewpoint of history. Enjoy:

In recent years there has been a lot of chatter about various “models” of the atonement that have appeared in the history of the church: the penal substitution model, the Christus Victor model, the exemplary model, and so forth. The impression is frequently given that today's Christians are free to pick and choose among these so-called “models.” But for any Christian committed to the final authority of Scripture, this approach is methodologically flawed. It allows historical theology to trump Scripture. Surely the right question to ask is this: Which, if any, of these so-called “models” is exegetically warranted by the Bible itself? For instance, are there passages in which biblical writers insist that Christ in his death triumphed over the powers of darkness? Are there passages in which Christ's self-sacrifice becomes a moral model for his followers? Are there passages in which Christ's death is said to be a propitiation for our sins, i.e. a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God? If the answer is “Yes” to these three options--and there are still more options I have not mentioned here--then choosing only one of them is being unfaithful to Scripture, for it is too limiting. Christians are not at liberty to pick and choose which of the Bible's teachings are to be treasured.

There is another question that must be asked when people talk about “models” of the atonement. Assuming we can show that several of them are warranted by Scripture itself, the question to ask is this: How, then, do these “models” cohere? Are they merely discrete pearls on a string? Or is there logic and intelligibility to them, established by Scripture itself?

One recent work that loves to emphasize the Christus Victor “model”--Christ by his death is victor over sin and death--somewhat begrudgingly concedes that penal substitution is found in a few texts, not least Romans 8:3. But this work expends no effort to show how these two views of the atonement should be integrated. In other words, the work in question denigrates penal substitution as a sort of minor voice, puffs the preferred “model” of Christus Victor, and attempts no integration. But I think it can be shown (though it would take a very long chapter to do it) that if one begins with the centrality of penal substitution, which is, as we have seen, grounded on a deep understanding of how sin is an offense against God, it is very easy to see how all the other so-called “models” of the atonement are related to it. The way Christ triumphs over sin and death is by becoming a curse for us, by satisfying the just demands of his heavenly Father, thereby silencing the accuser, and rising in triumph in resurrection splendor because sin has done its worst and been defeated by the One who bore its penalty. Moreover, in the light of such immeasurable love, there are inevitably exemplary moral commitments that Christ's followers must undertake. In other words, it is easy to show how various biblical emphases regarding the atonement cohere if one begins with penal substitution. It is very difficult to establish the coherence if one begins anywhere else.

Breaking the spell

My good friend Gareth Leaney has written an article on the recent upturn in interest in witchcraft amongst teenage girls.

It's been published by the newspaper Evangelicals Now. It's an interesting read. You can read the article in full here.

Forgiveness

CS Lewis once wrote, 'Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive.' It's true. And one of the things I have found most moving and challenging as I've read through Matthew's Gospel has been Jesus' teaching on forgiveness.

I guess partly this has struck home because in recent months I've felt called to forgive people that I believe have wronged me. I guess partly this has hit home because I've been made aware more recently that we really do live in a cursed and broken world. I guess also I've had cause to reflect on specific cases where forgiveness has occurred and I wonder if in the same position I'd be able to forgive - Anthony Walker's mum, for instance, or the kind of forgiveness shown in this moving article from Tearfund which put my own situations in their true perspective.

For Jesus, forgiveness is vital. In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus seems to say that forgiveness is a condition of salvation. Obviously, he's not speaking of a works-based righteousness, as the whole of Matthew's Gospel shows that salvation is by God's grace alone. However, Jesus does seem to say that a person who finds it impossible to forgive has not understood the depth of forgiveness that they themselves had received from God (see 5:7, 6:12, 6:14-15).

I have found the teaching that Jesus gives in chapter 18 helpful here, as I think this clarifies in greater detail what forgiveness is and what it is not. The whole chapter speaks of how we relate to others in 'the kingdom' - in other words, other who have placed their trust in Jesus. I love the way in which the teaching flows here. The first half of the chapter speaks of welcoming others who have trusted Jesus, regardless of how 'sinful' they appear (Jesus is clearly rebuking the self-righteous Pharisees here), whilst clearly still teaching the sinfulness of sin. Jesus is the good shepherd who has come to rescue people from sin, even really sinful people!

This then leads into the second section, from verse 15. How are we to relate to people that 'sin against us' (compare verses 15 and 21)? Verses 15-20 outline Jesus' 'grievance procedure' - the fault is (at first gently) pointed out to the offender (see Ephesians 4:2). However, forgiveness undergirds all of this - Jesus calls Peter to forgive seventy-seven times (i.e. an unlimited number of times), forgiving because he has himself been forgiven much, as the parable of the unmerciful servant shows. Indeed verse 35 says that forgiveness must come 'from the heart': in other words, no grudges can be held.

So what does this teach us about forgiveness?

First of all: God's forgiveness of us. The parable shows that it is neither a cheap pardon nor a let-off based upon our own attempts to atone for our wrongdoing by trying a bit harder. Instead, it is the cancellation of a massive, unpayable debt. A talent was equivalent to twenty years' salary for a labourer - the sum that is cancelled here is the equivalent of millions of pounds in present day money. Jesus makes it clear that, however much we have been wronged by others, it is equivalent to only a few pounds when compared to that we have received from God. In other words, if we are not willing to forgive those that have wronged us, we have not appreciated the sheer scale of forgiveness we have received. Indeed, it shows our repentance is only skin deep. As George Herbert said, 'He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.'

However, I think more can be said about our forgiveness of others. It's obviously not certain things:

- pretending that what a person has done doesn't matter - Jesus makes it clear that sin really does matter (verse 6) - it's dangerous - and for that reason we're to humbly go and point it out when we have been sinned against (verse 15);
- bringing peace at any price, particularly if this will lead to future sin (again, see verse 6): forgiveness is obviously not set up against, for instance, legal punishment for a crime;
- conditional on a person not doing it again (verses 21-22);
- having to like a person - this doesn't seem to come into the equation (we're to love them, but not necessary like them).

So what is forgiveness? Well it seems to me that Jesus models this. It means loving someone and wanting the best for them. Love wants the good for an enemy, even if they have hurt us. As I said above, sometimes this love will show itself in wanting justice to be done in punishment (for instance in the legal sense) but it will always want the best for the offender (see Matthew 5:43-48). This is perhaps most clearly shown in Jesus' cry on the cross - "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" - the emphasis here not on ignorance but on the fact that the people should have realised that what they were doing was wrong. Jesus does not say that the sin that led to his crucifixion didn't matter - obviously it did - yet he still wanted the very best for them, which his death provided: reconciliation with God.

So what does this mean for me? It means I'm called to forgive - not to say that things didn't matter, but to go in with an attitude of seeking the best for those who have sinned against me. It means that, by God's grace, I'll approach them in the future seeking their good, even if it means the same thing might happen again.

Love is hard. Love maybe shown be through gritted teeth at first, but by God's grace I hope it will not lead to bitterness but eventually reconciliation. After all, that's the power of the gospel as we reflect on the immense grace and forgiveness we have been shown.

More from Moldova

I've heard a little more from the team in Moldova. They're now at the English and Bible Camp, but I received an email from Ebek before she left.

It sounds like a lot of fun with Moldovan food and English lessons, but Ebek sent the following prayer requests:

We leave for camp tomorrow. I think we are all already tired but keen to get out there and serve. Pray that we stay united as a team and that we are effective. The bible studies are superb and it is a great oppourtunity to lead an evangelistic bible study so pray that conversations flow and that hearts are open to hearing the gospel. Also pray for the Christian Moldovans; that they will be keen to get involved and that we will all be united together to be a great army for Christ. As Flick put it - pray that when the little red fellow comes along we will put on God's armour!

The camp is exhausting - emotionally, physically and spiritually - so do keep praying for the team out there.

"Just be true to yourself..."

We went to see Shrek 3 at the weekend. It's a good film, lots of fun and definitely stands alongside the quality of the preceding movies.

I don't want to spoil the plot, but the inevitable happy ending has the equally inevitable moral lesson. And Shrek 3's moral rings through loud and clear: 'just be true to yourself'. Which in turn is a theme that resonates within plenty of statements of popular culture today. Take former Sugababe Mutya Buena's offering Real Girl. It includes this line:

And all I can do is be true to myself
I don't need permission from nobody else
'Cause this is the real world, I'm not a little girl
I know exactly who I am

Meanwhile, type in 'be true to yourself' into Google and you'll get 323,000 matches. It's everywhere, on blogs, philosophy pages and self help websites across the globe. The phrase may owe itself to Shakespearean origins (“To thy own self be true and it follows, like the night the day, you can’t be false to any man”) but at the beginning of the 21st Century it appears everywhere like a mantra. So pop psychology and cliché the phrase may be ... but Shrek got me asking what it actually means!

Well, Larry at Cybernation.com has this advice:

'While I was working in a "so-called" good job and doing a lot of the things I wanted to do at that time, I wasn't completely happy with my life. This was because I knew I wasn't using my potential and pursuing my passion and dreams. Like most people, I was simply passing up time. I examined myself in a mirror – carefully and thoughtfully. After thinking about what I really wanted to do, to have, and what kind of person I wanted to become, I knew I had to change for the better. I realized that if I kept on doing what I had been doing, then I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror five years later and be proud of that person. So from that moment on, I decided to develop my potential and make each day count, no matter what obstacles I may face. Although I haven't achieved everything I desired, and the last ten years have been very challenging, I'm pleased with myself. This is because I had spent more days doing the things I wanted to do, rather than doing the things I didn't.'

Meanwhile, Irene at True to Yourself Radio (no, I'm not making it up!) offers these words of wisdom:

We all have challenges, but our individual response to them determines our well-being. As I produce and host True to Yourself Radio, I, too, face many challenges. At this time it is one-woman show. I do everything from producing to hosting, from radio sales to promotion and marketing, from business operations to delivering an inspiring show every week. I am also a mother and primary caregiver of three little children (my husband travels a lot). And as I try to juggle it all, I count my blessings. It doesn’t matter that I am burning the midnight oil at my computer or reading late into the night the most current books of guests who will appear on upcoming shows. What matters most is that I am at home with my true nature. Every day I follow my heart’s desire and live my Truth. My new lifestyle allows me to unleash my creativity, evolve in my own personal growth and fulfil my dreams. Remember, you alone are responsible for your life. Every day is your time, your moment, and your reason for being. Take it as the gift it is; it will fill you up and lead you to joy. I hope you will join me, and together we will explore life’s possibilities.

It sounds good, doesn't it? But how am I to respond to these sentiments as a Christian?

Well, firstly, I think there's an element of 'being true to oneself' that I'd want to endorse. After all, God made us all different - with different passions and talents and skills and abilities - and he did so deliberately. When we use those passions and talents and skills and abilities in the right way, we reflect glory towards our Creator. And so it seems to me right to look for, say, jobs where those God-given passions and abilities can be best used.

Secondly, it seems to be that 'being true to oneself' is essentially a question of understanding one's identity. In order to be true to yourself, you need to develop a sense of who you are. And this is where I think the Christian worldview is quite different to those I've sketched above. The Biblical worldview says that we were deliberately created for a relationship with God, and to treat others in a God-glorifying way. In other words, God created us to enjoy his love for us and he calls us to grow in our relationship with him by living in line with what he says: loving the things he loves, hating the things he hates, so that in the way we treat one another we reflect his character. To be true to our nature as humans, then, is not to put ourselves first (which many of the above quotes suggest, and which seems to be a veiled and polite way of encouraging an me-centred selfishness) but to serve others in love, out of love for God.

Surely, this is why Jesus' words in John 8:31-32 make sense: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." It's through Jesus that we are restored to our purpose, and where we know true freedom - living out the relationship with Creator that we were made for.

And so as a Christian I think I need to be quite suspicious of most that calls me to 'be true to myself'. It's true that I needn't put up a wall of pretence and pretend to be someone that I'm not: God made me me and his unconditional grace frees me to be transparent before him and others. But to be truly free doesn't call me to put my ambitions and my hopes and my wants first, but to put them last and to serve others in love. That's when I'm truly free and when I'm being genuinely true to my redeemed human nature.

The latest from Moldova

Just received this update from Olivia (a Lancaster CU student, pictured right with Ebek) who is on the Moldova team:

Well here I am again in the little internet 'cafe' (that serves no drinks - as Ebek pointed out so cannot actually be callled a cafe!). Weather is amazing here as usual - and makes a nice change to England! Two days into orientation and we are all pretty tired what with all the seminars and stuff - but still enjoying it all loads none the less. Looking forward to camp. Was lovely to see Natalia, Doina and Ion again. Hoping that some of the students from last year will come back again this year so can catch up. Hope all is going well with you. Liv xx

Let's keep praying for them all!

A new challenge

Linda and I have agreed to help to head up the 11-14 year olds' work at the church we attend in Lancaster, Moorlands Evangelical Church, from September this year.

It's a really exciting development. Linda works with older teenagers through her work at CXL, and for the last few months I've been feeling as though I'd quite like to do some work with the youth. However, we're also feeling pretty daunted by it all - your prayers would be much appreciated.

I've also discovered that there's now a series of talks online in video format in which you might be interested. Over a year ago, Chris and I came up with a series of talk titles based on people's moral objections against God, originally for use in a series of lunchbars during Freshers' Week at Lancaster last year. My good friend Michael Ots has now preached through this series at the church at which he works, Lansdowne Baptist Church in Bournemouth. You can view the videos here - the titles are abbreviated above the videos and shown in full as they start.