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Post by civic on Dec 20, 2022 4:33:06 GMT -8
Purification for sin- καθαρισμός- katharismos: a cleansing, purifying, purification, expiation. Strongs 2512.
Thayers: a cleansing from the guilt of sins (see καθαρίζω, 1 b. β.): 2 Peter 1:9, now by the expiatory sacrifice of Christ, Hebrews 1:3 on which cf. Kurtz, Commentary, p. 70; (Exodus 30:10; τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου, Job 7:21; of an atonement, Lucian, asin. 22)
Hebrews 1:3-And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Purification for sin is in the blood of Christ in the Atonement
Matthew 26:26-29
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Hebrews 9:22
Because all things are purged by blood in The Written Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Leviticus 4:20,26,35
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them
Leviticus 6:7
And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
Hebrews 9
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The forgiveness of sins is found only in the blood of Christ- His life which He gave as a sacrifice for sin. That is the heart of the Atonement. It is what the New Covenant is found upon His blood, His life which was given for our sins. Forgiveness is only found in His blood that He gave His life on our behalf. That is how are sins are removed and taken away. That is what the Law required for sin was the blood of the animal sacrifice.
There is no "punishment" above anywhere. There is a sacrifice provided which covers and provides forgiveness of sins. The entire book of Hebrews is built upon the OT Law and how it is fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus said He gave His life as a Ransom . Strongs 3038- Lutron λύτρον. the purchasing money for manumitting slaves, a ransom, the price of ransoming; especially the sacrifice by which expiation is effected, an offering of expiation. Thayers: λύτρον, λύτρου, τό (λύω), the Sept. passim for כֹּפֶר, גְּאֻלָּה, פִּדְיון, etc.; the price for redeeming, ransom (paid for slaves, Leviticus 19:20; for captives, Isaiah 45:13; for the ransom of a life, Exodus 21:30; Numbers 35:31f): ἀντί πολλῶν, to liberate many from the misery and penalty of their sins, Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45. (Pindar, Aeschylus, Xenophon, Plato, others.)
Matthew 20:28- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many
hilastērion – the atonement is received by Faith.
Romans 3:25
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. NIV
Romans 3:25
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ESV
The Atonement is received by faith. The offering of the Atonement for sin cannot be obtained apart from faith. The atonement for sin has been made and it cannot be applied to mankind apart from faith. Jesus has made an atonement for sin but it produces no reconciliation, no pardon from sin, no remission of sin unless is accepted or received by faith.
continued below :
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Post by civic on Dec 20, 2022 4:33:21 GMT -8
The fallacy of the sufficient for all, efficient for some with the Atonement.
We must go back to the gospel and what the scriptures teach about the good news of Jesus death, burial and resurrection as defined in 1 Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15:17- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
The passage declares if Christ is not risen, raised from the dead, resurrected then our faith is in vain and we are still dead in our sins. We are saved by His life/Resurrection not His death. His death atoned for sin but does not give life.
Romans 4:24-25
but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Paul declares in Romans 5:10 the following: For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Cf Acts 17:31.
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17. We know that God saves those who believe – 1 Corinthians 1:21. We know that we receive the spirit and are sealed with the spirit through belief in the gospel- Ephesians 1:13.
Sin is the transgression of the law- 1 John 3:4. Sin is known thorough/by the law- Romans 7:7. The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ- Galatians 3:24-25. Where there is no law there is no transgression of the law- Romans 4:14. Sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. Romans 5:13.
In Colossians 2:13-15 we read the following: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Ephesians 2:14-15: For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
So, we see from the above scriptures it’s not sin perse that keeps the sinner from God it is unbelief. Faith is the issue. In Romans 5:1-2 we read the following: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God
Its unbelief that keeps one from salvation and places them under condemnation. This is taught throughout the N.T. gospels and epistles. Here we see what Jesus and Paul declared below.
John 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them
Romans 11:20: Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.
Hebrews 3:19: So, we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Cf Heb 4:6- unbelief
Conclusion
As we have seen reading through these O.T. passages quoted in the N.T., we discover that the N.T. does not use the penal language that was developed during the Reformation in the dark ages as that was how that culture during that time had dealt with people in their judicial system punishing those who disagreed with them, torture and death were a result for many who went against their theology. That was the mentality of those who developed the doctrine we have today called the PSA atonement. There are many aspects and theories of the atonement that contain truth, and no one theory is 100% correct. There are many different views and aspects to the atonement within orthodoxy. The N.T. writers' emphasis on the atonement is on the side of expiation rather than propitiation, which is only used twice in the epistle of 1 John. Gods’ wrath is still future and will judge those who reject His Sons atonement for sin. Gods’ wrath was not poured out on the Son for sin otherwise there would be no future wrath from God because of sin. Jesus’ atonement was done in love which provided covering and forgiveness of sins. And this view harmonizes with God’s wrath that is still yet to come and was not poured out on Jesus on the cross. Our loving God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). Our loving Father took pleasure to bruise His Son to reconcile us to God as an offering for our sins. (Isaiah 53:10).
In conclusion its faith in the Son through the message of the gospel that saves and unbelief which condemns. The gospel is for all mankind, all the world, for everyone. God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4). God is the Savior of all men, especially of believers (1 Timothy. 4:10), For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone (Titus 2:11) For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all (Romans 11:32). The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God sent His Son into the world to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again (2 Corinthians 5:15). But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:9)
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Post by Theophilus on Dec 20, 2022 9:47:33 GMT -8
Excellent post, it really opens the door to a lot of good study of God's word.
One of the most important expressions of salvations is the word atonement, translated from the Hebrew kaphar. Literally, kaphar means “to cover,” Think Noah's Ark.
The Lord told Noah to put pitch on the inside and outside of the ark. Pitch is a black or dark viscous substance like tar, however the Hebrew word for pitch is “kaphar” and it’s definition is; “to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation”, so just as Noah was told to cover the entire inside and outside of the ark with pitch, so Jesus is our cover…our atonement, reconciling us back to God.
After the ark is built, “the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation” (Gen 7:1). First they had faith and in the same way those come to Christ must first have faith (John 6:44), and those who are in Christ have no more condemnation (Rom 8:1) because they have the very righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21).
We are covered (kaphar) because we have been reconciled back to God (2 Cor 5:18). Another point is there is only one way to enter the ark and it’s through the one and only door. Jesus calls Himself the one and only way (John 14:6), which He is (Acts 4:12), and the door to His sheepfold. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). If not, they have the wrath of God abiding on them (John 3:36b). Even though Noah had to choose to enter the ark, “the Lord shut him in” (Gen 7:16), showing it is God alone Who God saves us and preserves us. Our Faith is our choosing to go through the door and to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The waters represent God’s judgment, but Noah didn’t save himself…it was God who instructed him how to do so. Noah had faith and believed what God instructed him to do.
Faith in God came first then the building of the ark.
Today, God instructs us how to be saved and that’s by having faith and trusting in Christ. Noah trusted the ark that God instructed him to make, and we can trust in Christ. The ark was made of wood, just as the cross was. The pitch protected the people inside, making a water-tight seal, and Jesus’ blood covers our sins and protects us from judgement. Lastly, God prepared a place for Noah and his family when the ark settled. Jesus said He will return for us and is preparing a place for us too (John 14:3).
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Post by civic on Dec 20, 2022 11:13:11 GMT -8
Excellent post, it really opens the door to a lot of good study of God's word. One of the most important expressions of salvations is the word atonement, translated from the Hebrew kaphar. Literally, kaphar means “to cover,” Think Noah's Ark. The Lord told Noah to put pitch on the inside and outside of the ark. Pitch is a black or dark viscous substance like tar, however the Hebrew word for pitch is “kaphar” and it’s definition is; “to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation”, so just as Noah was told to cover the entire inside and outside of the ark with pitch, so Jesus is our cover…our atonement, reconciling us back to God. After the ark is built, “the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation” (Gen 7:1). First they had faith and in same way those come to Christ must first have faith (John 6:44), and those who are in Christ have no more condemnation (Rom 8:1) because they have the very righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21). We are covered (kaphar) because we have been reconciled back to God (2 Cor 5:18). Another point is there is only one way to enter the ark and it’s through the one and only door. Jesus calls Himself the one and only way (John 14:6), which He is (Acts 4:12), and the door to His sheepfold. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). If not, they have the wrath of God abiding on them (John 3:36b). Even though Noah had to choose to enter the ark, “the Lord shut him in” (Gen 7:16), showing it is God alone Who God saves us and preserves us. Our Faith is our choosing to go through the door and to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The waters represent God’s judgment, but Noah didn’t save himself…it was God who instructed him how to do so. Noah had faith and believed what God instructed him to do. Faith in God came first then the building of the ark. Today, God instructs us how to be saved and that’s by having faith and trusting in Christ. Noah trusted the ark that God instructed him to make, and we can trust in Christ. The ark was made of wood, just as the cross was. The pitch protected the people inside, making a water-tight seal, and Jesus’ blood covers our sins and protects us from judgement. Lastly, God prepared a place for Noah and his family when the ark settled. Jesus said He will return for us and is preparing a place for us too (John 14:3). Excellent brother |
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Post by Theophilus on Dec 21, 2022 17:37:33 GMT -8
The Bible says that “God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:25a).
Everyone who has ever been saved has accepted Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. Whatever sins we have committed, Jesus died on the cross to save every kind of sinner. No one is excluded. There is salvation for every sinner who comes to Christ by faith.
What are the constituent elements of saving faith? I have learned that biblical faith has three essential aspects: notitia, assensus, and fiducia.
Notitia refers to the content of faith, the things we believe. There are certain things we are required to believe about Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, that He is our Savior, that He has provided an atonement, and so on.
Assensus is the conviction that the content of our faith is true. One can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true. We might have a doubt or two mixed with our faith, but there has to be a certain level of intellectual affirmation and conviction if we are to be saved. Before anyone can really trust in Jesus Christ, he has to believe that Christ indeed is the Savior, that He is who He claimed to be. Genuine faith says that the content, the notitia, is true.
Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is effectual only if one personally trusts in Christ alone for salvation. It is one thing to give an intellectual assent to a proposition but quite another to place personal trust in it. We can say that we believe in justification by faith alone and yet still think that we are going to get to heaven by our achievements, our works, or our striving. It is easy to get the doctrine of justification by faith into our heads, but it is hard to get it into the bloodstream such that we cling to Christ alone for salvation.
There is another element to fiducia besides trust, and that is affection. An unregenerate person will never come to Jesus, because he does not want Jesus. In his mind and heart, he is fundamentally at enmity with the things of God. As long as someone is hostile to Christ, he has no affection for Him. Satan is a case in point. Satan knows the truth, but he hates the truth. He is utterly disinclined to worship God because he has no love for God. We are like that by nature. We are dead in our sin. We walk according to the powers of this world and indulge the lusts of the flesh.
Until the Holy Spirit changes us, we have hearts of stone. An unregenerate heart is without affection for Christ; it is both lifeless and loveless. The Holy Spirit changes the disposition of our hearts so that we see the sweetness of Christ and embrace Him. None of us loves Christ perfectly, but we cannot love Him at all unless the Holy Spirit changes the heart of stone and makes it a heart of flesh.
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Post by synergy on Dec 23, 2022 11:19:06 GMT -8
The fallacy of the sufficient for all, efficient for some with the Atonement.
We must go back to the gospel and what the scriptures teach about the good news of Jesus death, burial and resurrection as defined in 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15:17- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. The passage declares if Christ is not risen, raised from the dead, resurrected then our faith is in vain and we are still dead in our sins. We are saved by His life/Resurrection not His death. His death atoned for sin but does not give life.
Romans 4:24-25but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Paul declares in Romans 5:10 the following: For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Cf Acts 17:31.John 11:25-26Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17. We know that God saves those who believe – 1 Corinthians 1:21. We know that we receive the spirit and are sealed with the spirit through belief in the gospel- Ephesians 1:13. Sin is the transgression of the law- 1 John 3:4. Sin is known thorough/by the law- Romans 7:7. The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ- Galatians 3:24-25. Where there is no law there is no transgression of the law- Romans 4:14. Sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. Romans 5:13.In Colossians 2:13-15 we read the following: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Ephesians 2:14-15: For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. So, we see from the above scriptures it’s not sin perse that keeps the sinner from God it is unbelief. Faith is the issue. In Romans 5:1-2 we read the following: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God Its unbelief that keeps one from salvation and places them under condemnation. This is taught throughout the N.T. gospels and epistles. Here we see what Jesus and Paul declared below. John 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them Romans 11:20: Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Hebrews 3:19: So, we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Cf Heb 4:6- unbelief
ConclusionAs we have seen reading through these O.T. passages quoted in the N.T., we discover that the N.T. does not use the penal language that was developed during the Reformation in the dark ages as that was how that culture during that time had dealt with people in their judicial system punishing those who disagreed with them, torture and death were a result for many who went against their theology. That was the mentality of those who developed the doctrine we have today called the PSA atonement. There are many aspects and theories of the atonement that contain truth, and no one theory is 100% correct. There are many different views and aspects to the atonement within orthodoxy. The N.T. writers' emphasis on the atonement is on the side of expiation rather than propitiation, which is only used twice in the epistle of 1 John. Gods’ wrath is still future and will judge those who reject His Sons atonement for sin. Gods’ wrath was not poured out on the Son for sin otherwise there would be no future wrath from God because of sin. Jesus’ atonement was done in love which provided covering and forgiveness of sins. And this view harmonizes with God’s wrath that is still yet to come and was not poured out on Jesus on the cross. Our loving God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked ( Ezekiel 33:11). Our loving Father took pleasure to bruise His Son to reconcile us to God as an offering for our sins. ( Isaiah 53:10). In conclusion its faith in the Son through the message of the gospel that saves and unbelief which condemns. The gospel is for all mankind, all the world, for everyone. God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ( 1 Timothy 2:4). God is the Savior of all men, especially of believers ( 1 Timothy. 4:10), For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone ( Titus 2:11) For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all ( Romans 11:32). The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance ( 2 Peter 3:9). God sent His Son into the world to take away the sin of the world ( John 1:29) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for sins of the whole world. ( 1 John 2:2). and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again ( 2 Corinthians 5:15). But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. ( Hebrews 2:9) Excellent Post! Following up on your point about the penal substitute theory, it presents God as a Legalistic Judge who demands repayment of debt in order to show mercy; this is not forgiveness or mercy but retribution.
The term often translated “propitiation” (from the Greek word ἱλασμός (hilasmos)) in Protestant translations only once in all the Greek writings meant “propitiation” or an appeasement of wrath and this occured about 500 years before Christ, too long to justify such a translation! The fact is, to make hilasmos mean propitiation is quite a stretch in its linguistic setting and Biblical setting. In all extant Greek literature, hilasmos only clearly means propitiation or a means of appeasing once (so far as I can find)- in Plutarch, who used it to mean “conciliate” or “a means of appeasing”. In Philo and other Greek Jewish literature it means “atonement” or “sin offering.”
Hilasmos is incorrectly translated in the KJV, NKJV, ESV, and NASB as “propitiation,” in the NRSV and NIV as “atoning sacrifice,” in the TEV as “the means by which sins are forgiven,” and better in the RSV as “expiation.” Translations that were more Anglican and Reformed in composition tend to be those which favor translating hilasmos as propitiation. Many lexicons and linguistic dictionaries by Protestants assume hilasmos means propitiation, but this is reading their doctrine into a Greek word rather than stating what the word meant in first century Koine Greek. The issue at stake is whether God is angry at us, a pagan god that must be appeased to change his disposition toward us, or whether He already is kindly disposed towards us. Propitiation, the appeasing if an irate Deity by offering Him a sacrifice which bears the weight of His wrath may be acceptable in Islam or Protestantism but is has no place in Christianity.
A legal understanding of the atonement does not flow from Scripture, but (as you said in similar way) from a guilt-innocence culture foreign to the Biblical authors, and is something which is read into the text. The Biblical atonement is not a legal act, but a cosmic and ontological one which purifies from sin and reunites humanity with God, there is no legal dilemma if not all are saved yet Christ died for all. God was not punishing Christ on the cross and the punishment of hell is a self-imposed punishment of separation from God by those who do not wish to know Him. The gates of hell are locked from the inside and God’s judgment is simply Him affirming their choice to reject Divine Love.
I reject the interpretation of the word hilasmos as propitiation because God is already favorably disposed towards those for whom Christ died, since His favor is why he provided the atonement in the first place. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament calls its Hebrew equivalent “make an atonement, make a reconciliation, purge.”
In fact, none of the uses of hilasmos in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) mean propitiation. These are: Ezekiel 44:27 (“sin offering”), 2 Maccabbees 3:33 (“sacrifice for health”), Psalm 129:4 LXX (“forgiveness”), Leviticus 25:9 (“atonement”), Numbers 5:8 (“guilt offering”), Amos 8:14 (“guilt or trespass offering”), Daniel 9:9 (“forgiveness”). The use of hilasmos on the LXX supports understanding it as atonement and sacrifice for sins, something which changes us and brings about forgiveness, not something which changes God’s disposition toward us. The Greek OT is what NT writers quoted in their Epistles.
Propitiation is not consistent with the statements of Romans 5:8 and 1 John 4:9-10 that God was already well-disposed towards us and for that reason reconciled us to Himself through Christ’s atoning sacrifice. An atonement for cleansing and forgiving sins fits 1 John 1:10-2:2 which is focused on cleansing from sin and ongoing purification through Christ’s Blood, not any questions of legal standing and certainly not a need to earn God’s favor as if there were ever a time He did not look at us favorably.
First John 4:10 says, “In this is Love, not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice (hilasmos) for our sins.” Again, hilasmos here means atoning sacrifice or expiation. It was out of God’s love that God died for us, and it was we who needed to be changed, our wills and dispositions needed to be renewed. There is no hint in the whole context that God was angry at us and punished His Son in our place.
The Cross is the place where atonement was made to reconcile humanity which had turned away from God to the God Who never turned away from us. The atonement justifies, cleanses, redeems, and ransoms. Through the atonement God substitutes for us as He takes death on Himself, the cosmos is exorcised, death is destroyed, all will be raised at the Last Day, and we are restored to the Tree of Life.
Christ died as a sacrifice of atonement, to purify us and the creation. He did not die to appease God or bear wrath.
The Bible often speaks of Christ dying for many, for His sheep, and for us (speaking to the Church) rather than Him dying for all. If Calvinists limit the atonement to just that what about then Paul said Christ “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20)? Using Calvinist theories then Christ died only for Paul.
In the final analysis: limited atonement is a doctrine in search of a text!!!
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Post by civic on Dec 23, 2022 11:28:19 GMT -8
The fallacy of the sufficient for all, efficient for some with the Atonement.
We must go back to the gospel and what the scriptures teach about the good news of Jesus death, burial and resurrection as defined in 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15:17- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. The passage declares if Christ is not risen, raised from the dead, resurrected then our faith is in vain and we are still dead in our sins. We are saved by His life/Resurrection not His death. His death atoned for sin but does not give life.
Romans 4:24-25but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Paul declares in Romans 5:10 the following: For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Cf Acts 17:31.John 11:25-26Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17. We know that God saves those who believe – 1 Corinthians 1:21. We know that we receive the spirit and are sealed with the spirit through belief in the gospel- Ephesians 1:13. Sin is the transgression of the law- 1 John 3:4. Sin is known thorough/by the law- Romans 7:7. The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ- Galatians 3:24-25. Where there is no law there is no transgression of the law- Romans 4:14. Sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. Romans 5:13.In Colossians 2:13-15 we read the following: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Ephesians 2:14-15: For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. So, we see from the above scriptures it’s not sin perse that keeps the sinner from God it is unbelief. Faith is the issue. In Romans 5:1-2 we read the following: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God Its unbelief that keeps one from salvation and places them under condemnation. This is taught throughout the N.T. gospels and epistles. Here we see what Jesus and Paul declared below. John 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them Romans 11:20: Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Hebrews 3:19: So, we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Cf Heb 4:6- unbelief
ConclusionAs we have seen reading through these O.T. passages quoted in the N.T., we discover that the N.T. does not use the penal language that was developed during the Reformation in the dark ages as that was how that culture during that time had dealt with people in their judicial system punishing those who disagreed with them, torture and death were a result for many who went against their theology. That was the mentality of those who developed the doctrine we have today called the PSA atonement. There are many aspects and theories of the atonement that contain truth, and no one theory is 100% correct. There are many different views and aspects to the atonement within orthodoxy. The N.T. writers' emphasis on the atonement is on the side of expiation rather than propitiation, which is only used twice in the epistle of 1 John. Gods’ wrath is still future and will judge those who reject His Sons atonement for sin. Gods’ wrath was not poured out on the Son for sin otherwise there would be no future wrath from God because of sin. Jesus’ atonement was done in love which provided covering and forgiveness of sins. And this view harmonizes with God’s wrath that is still yet to come and was not poured out on Jesus on the cross. Our loving God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked ( Ezekiel 33:11). Our loving Father took pleasure to bruise His Son to reconcile us to God as an offering for our sins. ( Isaiah 53:10). In conclusion its faith in the Son through the message of the gospel that saves and unbelief which condemns. The gospel is for all mankind, all the world, for everyone. God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ( 1 Timothy 2:4). God is the Savior of all men, especially of believers ( 1 Timothy. 4:10), For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone ( Titus 2:11) For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all ( Romans 11:32). The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance ( 2 Peter 3:9). God sent His Son into the world to take away the sin of the world ( John 1:29) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for sins of the whole world. ( 1 John 2:2). and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again ( 2 Corinthians 5:15). But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. ( Hebrews 2:9) Excellent Post! Following up on your point about the penal substitute theory, it presents God as a Legalistic Judge who demands repayment of debt in order to show mercy; this is not forgiveness or mercy but retribution.
The term often translated “propitiation” (from the Greek word ἱλασμός (hilasmos)) in Protestant translations only once in all the Greek writings meant “propitiation” or an appeasement of wrath and this occured about 500 years before Christ, too long to justify such a translation! The fact is, to make hilasmos mean propitiation is quite a stretch in its linguistic setting and Biblical setting. In all extant Greek literature, hilasmos only clearly means propitiation or a means of appeasing once (so far as I can find)- in Plutarch, who used it to mean “conciliate” or “a means of appeasing”. In Philo and other Greek Jewish literature it means “atonement” or “sin offering.”
Hilasmos is incorrectly translated in the KJV, NKJV, ESV, and NASB as “propitiation,” in the NRSV and NIV as “atoning sacrifice,” in the TEV as “the means by which sins are forgiven,” and better in the RSV as “expiation.” Translations that were more Anglican and Reformed in composition tend to be those which favor translating hilasmos as propitiation. Many lexicons and linguistic dictionaries by Protestants assume hilasmos means propitiation, but this is reading their doctrine into a Greek word rather than stating what the word meant in first century Koine Greek. The issue at stake is whether God is angry at us, a pagan god that must be appeased to change his disposition toward us, or whether He already is kindly disposed towards us. Propitiation, the appeasing if an irate Deity by offering Him a sacrifice which bears the weight of His wrath may be acceptable in Islam or Protestantism but is has no place in Christianity.
A legal understanding of the atonement does not flow from Scripture, but (as you said in similar way) from a guilt-innocence culture foreign to the Biblical authors, and is something which is read into the text. The Biblical atonement is not a legal act, but a cosmic and ontological one which purifies from sin and reunites humanity with God, there is no legal dilemma if not all are saved yet Christ died for all. God was not punishing Christ on the cross and the punishment of hell is a self-imposed punishment of separation from God by those who do not wish to know Him. The gates of hell are locked from the inside and God’s judgment is simply Him affirming their choice to reject Divine Love.
I reject the interpretation of the word hilasmos as propitiation because God is already favorably disposed towards those for whom Christ died, since His favor is why he provided the atonement in the first place. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament calls its Hebrew equivalent “make an atonement, make a reconciliation, purge.”
In fact, none of the uses of hilasmos in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) mean propitiation. These are: Ezekiel 44:27 (“sin offering”), 2 Maccabbees 3:33 (“sacrifice for health”), Psalm 129:4 LXX (“forgiveness”), Leviticus 25:9 (“atonement”), Numbers 5:8 (“guilt offering”), Amos 8:14 (“guilt or trespass offering”), Daniel 9:9 (“forgiveness”). The use of hilasmos on the LXX supports understanding it as atonement and sacrifice for sins, something which changes us and brings about forgiveness, not something which changes God’s disposition toward us. The Greek OT is what NT writers quoted in their Epistles.
Propitiation is not consistent with the statements of Romans 5:8 and 1 John 4:9-10 that God was already well-disposed towards us and for that reason reconciled us to Himself through Christ’s atoning sacrifice. An atonement for cleansing and forgiving sins fits 1 John 1:10-2:2 which is focused on cleansing from sin and ongoing purification through Christ’s Blood, not any questions of legal standing and certainly not a need to earn God’s favor as if there were ever a time He did not look at us favorably.
First John 4:10 says, “In this is Love, not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice (hilasmos) for our sins.” Again, hilasmos here means atoning sacrifice or expiation. It was out of God’s love that God died for us, and it was we who needed to be changed, our wills and dispositions needed to be renewed. There is no hint in the whole context that God was angry at us and punished His Son in our place.
The Cross is the place where atonement was made to reconcile humanity which had turned away from God to the God Who never turned away from us. The atonement justifies, cleanses, redeems, and ransoms. Through the atonement God substitutes for us as He takes death on Himself, the cosmos is exorcised, death is destroyed, all will be raised at the Last Day, and we are restored to the Tree of Life.
Christ died as a sacrifice of atonement, to purify us and the creation. He did not die to appease God or bear wrath.
The Bible often speaks of Christ dying for many, for His sheep, and for us (speaking to the Church) rather than Him dying for all. If Calvinists limit the atonement to just that what about then Paul said Christ “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20)? Using Calvinist theories then Christ died only for Paul.
In the final analysis: limited atonement is a doctrine in search of a text!!!
Thanks for the insight brother you have given me some more things to think about and study . |
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Post by synergy on Dec 23, 2022 11:37:05 GMT -8
The Bible says that “God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:25a). Everyone who has ever been saved has accepted Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. Whatever sins we have committed, Jesus died on the cross to save every kind of sinner. No one is excluded. There is salvation for every sinner who comes to Christ by faith. What are the constituent elements of saving faith? I have learned that biblical faith has three essential aspects: notitia, assensus, and fiducia. Notitia refers to the content of faith, the things we believe. There are certain things we are required to believe about Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, that He is our Savior, that He has provided an atonement, and so on. Assensus is the conviction that the content of our faith is true. One can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true. We might have a doubt or two mixed with our faith, but there has to be a certain level of intellectual affirmation and conviction if we are to be saved. Before anyone can really trust in Jesus Christ, he has to believe that Christ indeed is the Savior, that He is who He claimed to be. Genuine faith says that the content, the notitia, is true. Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is effectual only if one personally trusts in Christ alone for salvation. It is one thing to give an intellectual assent to a proposition but quite another to place personal trust in it. We can say that we believe in justification by faith alone and yet still think that we are going to get to heaven by our achievements, our works, or our striving. It is easy to get the doctrine of justification by faith into our heads, but it is hard to get it into the bloodstream such that we cling to Christ alone for salvation. There is another element to fiducia besides trust, and that is affection. An unregenerate person will never come to Jesus, because he does not want Jesus. In his mind and heart, he is fundamentally at enmity with the things of God. As long as someone is hostile to Christ, he has no affection for Him. Satan is a case in point. Satan knows the truth, but he hates the truth. He is utterly disinclined to worship God because he has no love for God. We are like that by nature. We are dead in our sin. We walk according to the powers of this world and indulge the lusts of the flesh. Until the Holy Spirit changes us, we have hearts of stone. An unregenerate heart is without affection for Christ; it is both lifeless and loveless. The Holy Spirit changes the disposition of our hearts so that we see the sweetness of Christ and embrace Him. None of us loves Christ perfectly, but we cannot love Him at all unless the Holy Spirit changes the heart of stone and makes it a heart of flesh. Excellent and thought provoking posts! One thing I'd like to mention is that it is through the effectual living Word of God that we come to believe in Christ. Regeneration happens afterwards which is exactly at the point that one is saved according to Titus 3:5. |
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