‘An act of love, an act of justice, an act of triumphant redemptive power’

Posted on January 27, 2011 
Filed under Theology

“Last year the Sydney Doctrine Commission produced its report on penal substitutionary atonement in response to a request of the Sydney Synod in October 2007.

I think the report is worth wide reading (and not just because I am the chairman of the Doctrine Commission). As the report itself remarks, ‘Because the death of Jesus has a central place in Christian thought and Christian living, it is our ongoing responsibility to carefully consider its significance’ (§2).

Here is part of the conclusion:

Penal substitution is an indispensable element in the Christian proclamation of the cross. It does not say everything about the atonement but it says a crucial thing, one which also helps to illumine every other facet of the Bible’s teaching on the subject. It has been treasured all through Christian history because it enables us to see how the atonement which reconciles us to God can be at one time an act of love, an act of justice and an act of triumphant redemptive power. What has been done for us was truly, morally done. What was done for us was complete and entire, addressing every dimension of the predicament we have created for ourselves. What was done for us secures our freedom and gives us a solid ground for assurance and hope. Precisely because in this penal substitution the consequences of human sin have been dealt with for those who belong to Christ, the words of Jesus from the cross are cherished above all others: ‘it is finished’ (John 19:30) (§45).

The full report can be found here.” From Mark Thompson at Theological Theology.

(There’s a version of the PDF file with smaller margins here.)