Why do only ‘liberals’ seem to notice the injustice and/or immorality of God’s punishing the innocent (and particularly His own Son!) instead of the guilty? This difference of perception can only have a colossal effect (even unconsciously, tacitly) on ethical attitudes toward sin, crime, justice, punishment, reparations, rewards. etc. Such doctrinal differences can hardly be relegated to the circular file of adiaphora, but are essential matters of enormous consequence. [8/27/10]
How could the wrath of God ever be upon one who was even willing to drink the cup of Satanic afflictions, simply because his Father in Heaven asked him to? This was a Fatherly appeal to bear the sins of his brethren, not to bear the wrath of his Father! God was overwhelmingly endeared to His compliant Son for this compassionate deed, contrary as it was to Jesus own survival instincts, humanly speaking (and he was human!) God only further loved and favored him for this yielding. [8/28/10]
The Cross and Resurrection of Christ were multi-faceted manifestations of God’s love. At the Cross, Jesus refused to repay his enemies in kind, but instead waited on and deferred to God’s response from Heaven, to Whom judgment and avenging ultimately belong. This was God’s love in Christ showing mercy, patience, longsuffering, and kindness toward those who were undeserving. Accordingly, God Himself answered from on high by AN EXPLOSION OF GRACIOUSNESS UPON JESUS WHOSE SHRAPNEL PIERCED THE HEARTS OF THOUSANDS AT PENTECOST AND WHOSE FALLOUT HAS TRAVELED THE GLOBE AND COVERED THE WHOLE EARTH WITH BLESSINGS EVER SINCE! [8/29/10]
Why should God’s judicial award to Christ as reparation for his undeserved sufferings depend in any manner on the ill-deserts of those who perpetrated his abuses? That is, why should God ever have to execute wrath on Christ in order to effect atonement, merely because those who did him wrong deserved wrath? Isn’t it sufficient “satisfaction” for God to overwhelm Jesus with superabundant graciousness and immortality and authority over all, without having to ‘take it out of their hide’? God did true, premial justice to Jesus; that’s the crucially important factor. [8/31/10]
Many an ordinary Christian under the influence of penal satisfaction doctrine suffers from the “He-loves-me,-He-loves-me-not” syndrome. This is what compromises their sense of security regarding salvation, in turn motivating the invention of unbiblical “eternal security” and “perseverance of the saints” notions. For penal satisfaction doctrine postulates the “eternal,” “absolute,” “moral” necessity of punishing every discrete sin…SOMEHOW! God’s idea, by contrast, was to ensure death as the eventual outcome of sin (…and even a little sooner in case of capital crimes!)–i.e., a blanket consequence. And that has proved rather effective for the purpose. “Extra” wrath would appear excessive under these circumstances and only breeds unhealthy fears and vexation concerning God. This is precisely what He was trying to avert by His astonishing spectacle of premial justice at Christ’s resurrection! [8/31/10]
The Premial Atonement 