How old is the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement?

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It is often thought (and taught) that the early church knew nothing of the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement.  This view seems to have been popularised by Gustav Aulen, in his celebrated book Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement (trans. A. G. Hebert; New York: Collier, 1969 [1931]).  Aulen found mere ‘traces’ of this doctrine in the early fathers.

Many modern opponents of the doctrine of penal substitution tend to follow Aulen uncritically at this point: if this doctrine was not ‘discovered’ until about 500 years ago, how can its proponents claim that it provides an inescapable (possibly central) explanation of what God achieved in Christ?…

The wrath of God in the New Testament

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It is often assumed that the picture of God in the Old Testament is that of a wrathful despot, while the God of the New Testament is nothing but love.

This is seriously mistaken.  Not only does the OT have much to say about God’s love (see, for example, Deuteronomy 7:7,8; and Hosea 3:1; 14:4), the NT has rather a lot to say about god’s wrath.  Let Roger D. Campbell summarise for us:-

First of all, in the New Testament there are a number of verses which make direct reference to “the wrath of God.”
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How does the cross affect me?

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This is one of the questions posed and answered by Richard Bewes in his little book The Top 100 Questions.

Put slightly differently, the question is: What does it mean to say that Jesus Christ died ‘for’ me?

The most fundamental answer to this question, says Bewes, lies in the idea of ‘penal substitution’.  Christ was the only person qualified to take upon himself the penalty of separation from God (Romans 6:23), and he himself declared that he had come to give his life in the place of many (Mark 10:45).…

The 500 word manuscript

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I’ve written previously about the dangers and pitfalls of preaching from a full manuscript.  I recognise, too, the problems associated with preaching from no written notes at all.

I won’t go into either of these polarities again just at the moment.  But it leaves the question, how long should a preaching manuscript be?  I have found myself, in recent times, using either of two approaches:-

(a) preparing a Powerpoint presentation is precise and detailed enough to give me the prompts that I need, without recourse to any further notes.…

Understanding the plagues – can science help?

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In his book The Miracles of Exodus (Continuum, 2003), physicist Sir Colin Humphreys argues that a plausible scientific basis can be found for the plagues of Egypt, as recorded in Exodus 7-11.

This is not to suggest that they can be ‘explained away’ as merely natural phenomena.  Rather, accordingly to Humphreys’, the miraculous element lies in their timing and intensity, along with the fact that they were predicted.

Instone-Brewer (Science and the Bible: Insights For An Ancient Text) takes a similar line:

‘These plagues are not portrayed in the language of miracles, except with regard to their timing and their ferocity.

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How do we get from the Old Testament to Jesus?

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Allan Moseley poses seven questions that can help us to see how the Old Testament points to Jesus.

  1. Is the passage referred to in the New Testament?  For example, Habakkuk 2:3 is directly quoted in Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38.  Sometimes, however, the allusion is not so straightforward, as when, according to Matthew 2:23, it had been written ‘the prophets’ that Jesus would be called ‘a Nazarene’.
  2. Does the OT passage address a theme that is also addressed in the NT?
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What is ‘progressive Christianity’?

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A century ago, it was ‘liberal Christianity’ that was putting out its newer, kinder, more modern agenda for the Christian faith.  Around the time of the millenium (no, not that millenium, but the one we’ve already lived through) it was the Emerging Church that was seeking to free itself from the shackles of traditionalism.  Now, it seems, the most popular self-designation for those disenchanted with orthodoxy is ‘Progressive Christianity’ (PC).

As is the case with all these movements, PC is a bit difficult to pin down. …

Preach only the gospel?

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Should we preach only the gospel?  Whatever the starting-point of the sermon, should we always make a beeline for Calvary and issue an appeal to the unconverted?

It is tempting to answer with an unqualified ‘Yes’.  After all, there is little enough faithful preaching of the gospel these days, so shouldn’t we take every opportunity to do so?  And did not the apostle Paul write, ‘I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 2:2).…

Angels

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Angels are:-

A. ttendants of Christ (2 Thess. 1:7), their exalted Head (Eph. 1:21; 22; Col. 2:10)
B. ringers of good tidings concerning our salvation (see on Luke 2:14; 24:4; Acts 1:11; 1 Tim. 3:16)
C. horisters of heaven (Luke 15:10; 1 Cor. 13:1; Rev. 5:11, 12)
D. efenders of God’s children (Ps. 34:8; 91:11; Dan. 6:22; 10:10, 13, 20; Matt. 18:10; Acts 5:19; 2 Thess. 1:7–10; Rev. 12:7), though the latter outrank them and will judge them (1 Cor.…

The call to Christlikeness

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A. God wants us to be like Christ

This is his

  1. eternal purpose – we have been ‘predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son’ (Romans 8:29).
  2. historical purpose – ‘we…are being transformed [or changed] into his image’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
  3. eschatological purpose – ‘we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him’ (1 John 3:2).

Here, then, are three perspectives: past (we have been predestined), present (we are being changed), and future (we shall be like him), which all point to the same thing: that God wants us to be like Christ.…