Post by Jesse Morrell on May 16, 2009 1:01:31 GMT -5
PENALTY, PARDON, ATONEMENT
We have all chosen to break the moral law of God (Gen. 6:12; Ecc. 7:29; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23). The penalty of the law demands the eternal punishment of sinners (Eze. 18:4, 20; 2 Thes. 1:9). How could God pardon us? By merely pardoning us by His mercy, God would be encouraging His universe to disobey (Ecc. 8:11). If God simply set aside our penalty, He would not be discouraging His moral subjects throughout His Kingdom from sin, crime, or rebellion. This would endanger the well-being of His creation. On the one hand, God wants to pardon mankind because of His great love. But on the other hand, because of His great love He also wants to promote the well-being of His universe by maintaining the authority and influence of His law. How can God do both? His love wants both public justice for His Kingdom and also mercy for transgressors. Yet if He pardons mankind, by withholding their punishment or setting aside their penalty, He weakens the authority and influence of His law over His subjects and thereby endangers His universe. Therefore if God is going to set aside our penalty in pardon, He must substitute our penalty with something that will uphold His law throughout His Kingdom. He must substitute our eternal punishment with something that declares to His universe His regard for His law and His determination to maintain it, so that disobedience is discouraged, so that crime is prevented.
That substitute, by which our penalty can be remitted, is the suffering and death of Christ (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:22). Jesus died for our sins. The blood atonement of Christ substitutes the eternal punishment of sinners (Isaiah 53:1-12). Therefore our penalty can be remitted if we choose to repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ (Lk. 24:47)!
Mere pardon would be dangerous to God’s Kingdom because the law (precept & sanctions) serves a purpose. The precept promotes well-being (Deut 5:29; 6:3; 6:24; 10:13; Jer. 7:6, 23; 32:39; Lk. 6:9; Eph. 6:3) and the sanctions prevent disobedience (Deut. 11:27-28; Ecc. 8:11). God expresses to His subjects His regard for the precept by executing the sanctions upon the disobedient. Pardon is the setting aside of penalty. This would endanger God's Kingdom. But when atonement replaces the penalty of the law, expressing God’s regard for the law, pardon becomes safe in regards to the well-being of the public. God can pardon mankind without encouraging disobedience.
The atonement of Christ accomplishes what the penalty of the law upon sinners would have accomplished. It is an adequate and perfect substitute. Through the atonement of Christ, the law is supported, disobedience is discouraged, and crime is prevented just as equally as it would have been through the eternal punishment of sinners. That is because the sacrifice of His Son manifests to His moral universe His regard for the law just as equally as would have been manifested through the eternal penalty being executed upon the guilty. Since God’s regard for His law is declared through the atonement as equally as it would have been through the penalty, crime is prevented through the atonement as equally as it would have been through the penalty.
The atonement makes it possible for a loving and merciful God to pardon mankind (Mic. 7:18) while maintaining the authority and influence of His law throughout His kingdom at the same time. God can safely express and exercise His mercy upon the repentant and believing without endangering His universe by encouraging sin. God needed to declare to His universe His righteous method of remitting sins or else He would not be just (Rom. 3:24-26). God can be just to His law and just to His universe while also being merciful to mankind, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore God is just even in the forgiveness of sins (1 Jn. 1:9). Public justice and benevolent mercy are both satisfied by the atonement of Christ, so that God can be just while also being the justifier of those who are converted (Rom. 3:26).
We have all chosen to break the moral law of God (Gen. 6:12; Ecc. 7:29; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23). The penalty of the law demands the eternal punishment of sinners (Eze. 18:4, 20; 2 Thes. 1:9). How could God pardon us? By merely pardoning us by His mercy, God would be encouraging His universe to disobey (Ecc. 8:11). If God simply set aside our penalty, He would not be discouraging His moral subjects throughout His Kingdom from sin, crime, or rebellion. This would endanger the well-being of His creation. On the one hand, God wants to pardon mankind because of His great love. But on the other hand, because of His great love He also wants to promote the well-being of His universe by maintaining the authority and influence of His law. How can God do both? His love wants both public justice for His Kingdom and also mercy for transgressors. Yet if He pardons mankind, by withholding their punishment or setting aside their penalty, He weakens the authority and influence of His law over His subjects and thereby endangers His universe. Therefore if God is going to set aside our penalty in pardon, He must substitute our penalty with something that will uphold His law throughout His Kingdom. He must substitute our eternal punishment with something that declares to His universe His regard for His law and His determination to maintain it, so that disobedience is discouraged, so that crime is prevented.
That substitute, by which our penalty can be remitted, is the suffering and death of Christ (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:22). Jesus died for our sins. The blood atonement of Christ substitutes the eternal punishment of sinners (Isaiah 53:1-12). Therefore our penalty can be remitted if we choose to repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ (Lk. 24:47)!
Mere pardon would be dangerous to God’s Kingdom because the law (precept & sanctions) serves a purpose. The precept promotes well-being (Deut 5:29; 6:3; 6:24; 10:13; Jer. 7:6, 23; 32:39; Lk. 6:9; Eph. 6:3) and the sanctions prevent disobedience (Deut. 11:27-28; Ecc. 8:11). God expresses to His subjects His regard for the precept by executing the sanctions upon the disobedient. Pardon is the setting aside of penalty. This would endanger God's Kingdom. But when atonement replaces the penalty of the law, expressing God’s regard for the law, pardon becomes safe in regards to the well-being of the public. God can pardon mankind without encouraging disobedience.
The atonement of Christ accomplishes what the penalty of the law upon sinners would have accomplished. It is an adequate and perfect substitute. Through the atonement of Christ, the law is supported, disobedience is discouraged, and crime is prevented just as equally as it would have been through the eternal punishment of sinners. That is because the sacrifice of His Son manifests to His moral universe His regard for the law just as equally as would have been manifested through the eternal penalty being executed upon the guilty. Since God’s regard for His law is declared through the atonement as equally as it would have been through the penalty, crime is prevented through the atonement as equally as it would have been through the penalty.
The atonement makes it possible for a loving and merciful God to pardon mankind (Mic. 7:18) while maintaining the authority and influence of His law throughout His kingdom at the same time. God can safely express and exercise His mercy upon the repentant and believing without endangering His universe by encouraging sin. God needed to declare to His universe His righteous method of remitting sins or else He would not be just (Rom. 3:24-26). God can be just to His law and just to His universe while also being merciful to mankind, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore God is just even in the forgiveness of sins (1 Jn. 1:9). Public justice and benevolent mercy are both satisfied by the atonement of Christ, so that God can be just while also being the justifier of those who are converted (Rom. 3:26).