Christ Our Atoning Savior: Why We Need Redemption and How God Provides It - by Stephen Wellum

Found here. Our comments in bold.
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At 1271 words, the author has ample opportunity to not only teach us his doctrines, but tell us where in the Bible to find them. Now, he does supply numerous Bible references, but invariably when we look them up we find that the verses do not tell us what the author says they say.

That's probably why he doesn't quote them.

Worse, the author's Bible documentation disappears for great swaths of his presentation. As such, we must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.

We also need to note that the author's doctrine is Reformist/Calvinist. And as is typical for those of this persuasion, he does not write to teach the Bible, his purpose is to teach this doctrinal perspective. These teachers will never teach the Bible unless they can slip this in. 

We have written about these teachings frequently. We certainly don't want to weary the reader but we think it's important to continually challenge these false, pernicious doctrines:

• Jesus did not die in our place, because we must die too
• Jesus did not pay for our sin, He paid for us
• Jesus was not punished by the Father, His spilled blood is sufficient
• Jesus did not engage in a transaction, He engaged in a sacrifice

We will explain below.

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Our Need for Atonement and God’s Gracious Provision in Christ

Central to why our triune God (The word "triune" will appear nine times in this article. Apparently it is significant for the author, but for reasons we can't discern. After a while it ceases to inform and simply becomes an irritant. We will highlight each such occurrence.)

created humans is that he created us to know him in covenant relationship The author will use the word "covenant" four times in the article but never explain it.)

and to display his glory in the world as his kings and queens (Gen. 1:26–28; Ps. 8). (The author continues to use terminology that diverts our attention from the topic. We must ask, who typically refers to saved mankind as kings and queens? No one really. Why does the author do this when a more conventional way of describing it would suffice?)

But given human sin, how does God’s purpose still stand? (What purpose would that be? Covenant relationship, whatever that is? Forgiveness of sin? Restoration of all things? Or maybe, is God's purpose is something higher? Perhaps His highest purpose is to bring glory to Himself? 

We expect the author to clearly teach the Bible. He's here to answer the question contained in the title. We need for him to provide his answer so we are not forced to speculate.)

In our sin, we—who were created to know, love, and obey the God of all glory—stand guilty and condemned before him; we cannot save ourselves. How will God forgive us, especially since “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10)? (Our first Bible quote, but just a snippet. And it only documents an ancillary idea.

This will be the last Bible quote from the author for quite some time.)

Adam’s sin turned the created order upside down and brought on all of humanity the sentence of death (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23). Humans, who were made for covenant relationship with God and for each other, (??? What does this mean?)

are now under God’s righteous judgment as his enemies and objects of his wrath (Eph. 2:1–3). What hope is there for us? Our only hope is that our triune God, who does not need us, (??? He doesn't need us? Why is this important?) 

takes the initiative in grace (??? We understand what grace is, but what is the "initiative in grace," and how does it come to bear on the topic?)

to redeem, justify, and transform us (Eph. 2:4–7).

Contrary to non-Christian thought, we cannot save ourselves. We must never forget that the gospel message is not about self-help or our doing good for the betterment of society. No doubt, as a result of the gospel, our lives are transformed and we begin to act properly toward God and one another. But, first and foremost, the gospel is about the majesty, glory, and beauty of our triune God and what he has done to redeem, justify, and reconcile moral rebels against him—who deserve nothing but judgment—and to make all things new. Apart from God’s acting in sovereign grace, (??? It was "initiative in grace," but now it is "sovereign grace." How does grace become sovereign, and how does it differ from God's grace generally?)

the human race is completely lost and without hope. This point is especially reinforced when we remember who we have sinned against.

Given that our triune Creator and Lord is holy and just (Isa. 6:1–4; Rev. 4:8–11), the moral standard of the universe, he cannot simply overlook our sin. Think of God’s holy justice (Gen. 18:25). God is not like a human judge, who adjudicates laws external to himself; God is the law. What is true, good, and beautiful is measured against the standard of God’s own perfect nature and will. This is why our sin is no small matter! In our rebellion against God, we have not sinned against an abstract force or an impersonal law, nor is our sin only horizontal—against one another. Above all, our sin is against God. David, for example, sinned against many people in his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, but he also rightly knew that his sin was first against God (Ps. 51:4). For this reason, Scripture reminds us that God’s forgiveness of our sin is not cheap. For God to forgive us, given who he is as the holy and just one, he must remain true to himself. (This all seems in order, so it is clear the author is able to explain things.)

He must act to satisfy his own righteous demand against us (Rom. 3:25–26). (This Bible passage does not refer to God demanding anything from us.)

This raises a crucial question running from Genesis 3 throughout the entire Bible: In the forgiveness of our sin, how will God demonstrate his holy justice, covenant love, (??? We know what a covenant is, but what is covenant love? Why does the author continually use terminology to cloud the explanation of his topic?)

remain true to himself, (This is the second time the author has mentioned this. What does it mean?)

and justify the ungodly (Rom. 4:5)? Scripture is clear: it is only in Christ alone, the eternal Son made flesh (John 1:1, 14), that our triune God has satisfied his own righteous demand against sinners (What might that righteous demand be?)

and secured our reconciliation, justification, and redemption by his obedient life and substitutionary death (Rom. 5:1; Rom. 8:1). (Let's quote:

Ro. 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...

Ro. 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...

Jesus did not die in our place. Neither of the cited Scriptures describe this. In fact, it is an unbiblical idea.

Jesus death was sacrificial, not transactional. His spilled blood effects our salvation: 

He. 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Jesus' blood is sufficient. His substitutionary punishment is not needed.)

To undo, reverse, and pay for Adam’s sin, (Jesus did not pay for Adam's sin, or our sin. He paid for us: 

1Co. 7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

In actual fact, Jesus overcame death and the grave. Adam's sin brought death, Jesus brought life. This is the topic of Romans 5:12-21, one man's work and its result versus another Man's work and its result.

Does not the author understand these basic concepts?)

Jesus Christ is the only one who can do this for us. As the true man, he is the only one who can obey for us as our covenant head. (??? What is this?)

As the divine Son, he is the only one able to satisfy God’s righteous demand (What demand is that?)

by paying the penalty for our sin (Rom. 6:23). (Let's quote: 

Ro. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is no "penalty" here. In fact, this wage has already been paid to all mankind. Because of Adam's sin we all died and are condemned: 

Ro. 5:18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

Jn. 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Jesus didn't pay any penalty. No one was owed anything. Jesus's sacrificial death spilled His blood, the only necessary cleansing agent for our sin.)

Apart from his obedient life and atoning death, (The author will never define the word "atoning," and will use it only twice in this article, plus the title. This is quite odd because it seems to be the topic.)

we have no Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 5:12–21; Heb. 2:5–18). But gloriously, because of the incarnate Son’s life, death, and resurrection, we have an all-sufficient Redeemer who meets our every need (Heb. 7:23–28). (The author veers back to the truth.)

There is no greater news than this: Christ Jesus, as God the Son incarnate, perfectly meets our need before God by his obedient life and substitutionary death. (He repeats his false claim.)

In Christ, the triune love of God is revealed because in Christ we receive the gift of righteousness which is now ours by faith in him. United to Christ by faith, he obeys in our place, (What does this mean, and where is it found in the Bible?)

dies our death,  (He repeats his false claim. Jesus did not die our death because our salvation requires our death:

Ro. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

It's not possible He died our death if we must die.)

and satisfies divine justice—indeed, his own justice— ("Divine justice?" This sounds like a biblical phrase, but where in the Bible do we find the idea that God's justice needed to be satisfied like there was something owed to Him?)

which is evidenced in his glorious resurrection, ascension, and the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). As a result, by faith alone in Christ alone, his righteousness is ours forever (Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13). (Let's quote:

Ro. 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus... 

2Co. 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

Ga. 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Now with the verses before us, does the reader see any indication that Jesus gave us His righteousness?

In actual fact, we have been declared righteous by faith. We are actually righteous. Our status has changed because we are new creations: 

Ro. 5:1-2 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.

We don't have someone else's righteousness, we possess the righteousness God gave us when we believed.)

In Christ, we stand complete: justified before God by the forgiveness of our sins and clothed in his righteousness (Rom. 4:1–8; 5:1–2). (Let's quote: 

Ro. 4:1-8 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about — but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 

4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never 

count against him.”

Ro. 5:1-2 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 rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Not only do these passages make no mention of being clothed in His righteousness, they actually bolster our point that we are actually righteous by faith.

The Romans 4 passage makes the contrast between working to have one's wages credited and having faith to have one's righteousness credited. The wage/righteousness belongs to the worker/person with faith.

The Romans 5 passage goes even farther, telling us that we are justified by faith and our faith has granted us access to His grace. 

We are a little surprised the author doesn't understand this.)

All of this reveals that God—not us—is at the center of the universe. Christ’s atoning work (Here is the second occurrence of the word "atoning," again not explained.

We are forced now to do the author's work for him. "Atone" means to cover over, as in to hide from view. This is an OT concept where the sacrificial blood covered over sin, but could not erase it:

He. 10:4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Christ's blood is a better work, completely sufficient to wash away sin:

He. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Thus we conclude that Jesus did not atone for our sins, He propitiated, which means He completely satisfied the Father's wrath against us. This is why we say that it isn't necessary to punish Jesus for our sins, because He propitiated them.)

reminds us that our triune God planned our redemption from eternity and achieved it in history. From beginning to end, God alone acted in power and grace to provide and accomplish our salvation—by the Father’s initiative, through the Son, and by the Spirit’s union with Christ (Eph. 1:3–14).

Living as Justified and Reconciled People in Christ

In light of what our triune God has done for us in Christ, what practical effect does this have on our lives? Many applications could be made, but one stands out: as we consider God’s forgiveness of our sin and our justification in Christ, this shapes how we forgive others who sin against us.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we are taught to ask for the forgiveness of our sins and to forgive those who sin against us (Matt. 6:12). Jesus strengthens this point: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:14–15). (Oh. Finally he's back to quoting Scripture, but the moment has passed. It's the prior section that needs Bible quotes.)

Many have struggled here, thinking Jesus suggests a works-based forgiveness. But this is not his meaning. We must interpret the Lord’s Prayer in its context and in light of Christ’s finished work.

When we do, we see that Jesus teaches us the relationship between God’s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others. Since God has forgiven us of our treason against him—and since everything we have is by grace—how can we not forgive others? God has done the greater; human sin against us is the lesser. This does not minimize human sin. Instead, it reminds us that our greatest problem is our sin before God. And if God has forgiven us freely and fully in Christ (Eph. 2:8–10), then we must extend that forgiveness to others.

Later, in Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive a brother who sins against him. Jesus answers, “not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matt. 18:22). The point: continual forgiveness. Why? Because God has forgiven us of the greater—our sin against him—and we forgive others of the lesser.

If we struggle to forgive others, we must first consider our own sin before God and the justification we have received in Christ. Unless we see that we have been forgiven much, we will struggle to forgive. Sadly, today many focus on what someone has done to them and forget what they have done against God. If you are struggling to forgive, start with the cross.

For Further Study and Reflection

Texts on Christ’s work and our justification:
Rom. 3:21–31; 5:1–11; 6:1–14; 8:1–17; 2 Cor. 5:16–21.

Texts on our response:
Matt. 6:14–15; 18:15–35; Rom. 13:9–21; Phil. 2:1–11; Col. 4:12–17; 1 John 1:8–10; 2:9–11; 4:7–12.

Stephen Wellum is the author of The Person of Christ: An Introduction.

This article first appeared at Crossway and is posted here with permission.

For more from our latest Advent series please visit our page here at Servants of Grace.


Stephen Wellum is Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Kingdom through Covenant (Crossway). He is also the author of a forthcoming volume on Christology in the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series (Crossway). He is also writing a systematic theology that will be published around 2017 (B&H Academic).