10
time God was willing to overlook humanity’s ignorance in The Saving relation to idol worship, though now He commands all people Work of everywhere to repent (Acts In past generations Christ He “let all nations go their own way” (Acts now He wants them “to turn from these worthless things”14:
though
( 14: 15). Paul says that in the Cross God sought to demon- strate His justice “because in his forbearance he had left sins committed beforehand unpunished” (Rom. He en- dured for four hundred years the gross iniquity of the rites (Gen. 15: though eventually His judgment fell with irresistible might. The Lord will “not acquit the guilty” (Exod. and “accepts no bribes” (Deut. “He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity” (Ps. Proverbs says, “Acquitting the guilty and con- demning the innocent-the detests them both.” Those who test God’s patience “are storing up wrath for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be re- vealed” (Rom.Attempts to weaken the meaning of these words that de- scribe God and His actions, perhaps by seeing them as ex- aggerated expressions of God’s displeasure at people’s dis- obedience, lead to semantic nonsense. For if we refuse to understand them in their full strength, what can we say about those terms that describe His love and grace? To weaken one group is to weaken the other. The Cross and all it implies can have meaning only in view of a righteous and holy God who requires judgment. If it were not so, then Christ’s agony in Gethsemane and His excruciating death become merely scenes in a passion play. Besides, they make a mockery of a loving God. If He really is not so angry with sin that He requires judgment, then the Cross becomes the most loveless act ever seen.
GOD’S GOODNESS, MERCY, AND GRACE
The Bible shows that we must take into account the divine nature as holy and righteous when considering its message of salvation. Yet, it just as equally reveals God’s nature to be good in its very essence. The Old Testament continually
that the Lord is good (Heb. and that He does only good things. The Psalmist invites us to “taste and see that the is good” (Ps. He declares, “The is good” ( and he says to the Lord, ‘You are good, and what
you
do is good” ( 11968). One writer states, “The word ‘good’is the most comprehensive term used when praising CHAPTER of something.” When applied to God it implies the
absolute perfection of this characteristic in Him. There is
nothing in Him to make Him “nongood.” Therefore, God’s The Saving redemptive activity expresses His goodness, as is evident when Work of
the Bible says that He does not want (Gk. “anyone Christ to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet.
The goodness of God that moved Him to hold off judgment and to save lost humankind finds expression in several key ideas (although they do not appear the most frequently with reference to God’s affective characteristics). The Bible clearly His patience, long-suffering, and forbearance, the Old Testament writers expressing it most often by the phrase “slow to The primary word in the New Testament follows the pattern of the Hebrew. In 2 Peter we read that the Lord “is patient Gk. with you, not wanting anyone to perish” Peter says, “Our Lord’s patience Gk.
means salvation” (2 Pet.
3:
15). In Romans Paul uses (which means “restraint,” “forbearance,” or in warning those who judge others-while they do the same things themselves-against showing “con- tempt for the riches of his [God’s] kindness, tolerance and patience.” In some respects, God’s patience reflects a reactive rather than a proactive for providing salvation through Christ. But were it not for His forbearance would anyone be saved?Miller, “Good, the Good, Goodness,” in Evangelical
470,471.
This verse does not support the contention that reflects the
of “determination” and of “inclination.” the discussions
in Joseph H. Thayer, of the New Testament (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, for 285,286, and Muller,
“Will, Purpose,” in New vol. 3, 1015-18 for
appears nine times in the NIV (e.g., Exod. Num. Neh.
917). In Jer. the NIV translates the same Hebrew phrase suffering.”
is no clear distinction between and The
former “is undoubtedly less active and vigorous. Furthermore, it has stronger eschatological overtones, looking forward to God’s judgment, whereas denotes the period of God’s gracious forbearance with particular reference in Rom. to Israel and the period up to the cross of Christ” (Ulrich Falkenroth and Cohn Brown, “Patience, Steadfastness, En-
durance,” in New Dictionary, vol. 2, 767). appears
only twice in the New Testament-here and in Rom.
should recall, however, that God’s love, grace, mercy, and sov- ereign decision to redeem are all proactive.
Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective
CHAPTER The Bible reveals God’s saving nature in its description of
10
His mercy. Mercy is not so much a quality as it is an action. The Saving Patience requires no action; mercy does, though we mustWork of avoid seeing any kind of dichotomy between the two. The Christ essential idea of mercy requires a condition in which therecipient of mercy has no claim of merit on the mercy giver. If merit is present, mercy ceases. The superior position of the mercy giver, however, does not lead to patronizing. Rather, God humbled himself and became one of us-the ultimate expression of mercy.
In the Old Testament, five important word groupings refer to God’s mercy, compassion, or When reflecting on what God had done in the past for the covenant people, Isaiah “In his love Heb. and mercy Heb.
he redeemed them” David compares the com- passion (Heb. of the Lord with the compassion of a father (Ps. Psalm 1 says, “Our God is full of compassion” (Heb. The New Testament uses pri-
marily and its derived forms, found mostly in Paul’s writings (twenty-six times) and in Luke and Acts ‘(twenty times). In the the verb (Gk. ) appears mostly in appeals for mercy to Jesus, “son of David”
Mark whereas in the Epistles the word refers primarily to God as He does or does not show mercy (Rom.
1 Pet. Mercy is both human (Matt. James and divine (Rom. Heb. 1 Pet.
Four passages in the New Testament that bring mercy and salvation together call for special attention. First, in Luke 1, the great chapter that introduces God’s redemption, the word “mercy” occurs five times (w. In the Magnificat, Mary rejoices in God for being “mindful of the humble estate of his servant” (v. but she includes all “who fear him” (v. 50) and “his servant Israel” (v. 54) in the
are “spare” or “pity”; “have compassion”;
“be gracious”; “look with pity”; and, probably the most important, “love” or “kindness.” These words also refer to mercy humans express. The Hebrew concepts have a legal, covenantal background, dif- fering from the predominantly psychological slant of the Greek See
Helmut Esser, “Mercy, Compassion, in New Dictionary, vol.
2, 594.
of the words in this group appear in any of the Johannine writings, possibly because the notion of love predominates.
Verse 58 has no redemptive slant. ‘The word “love” is noticeable for its absence. Luke seeks to emphasize Gods mercy in providing salvation, a thought that the Old Testament with its stress on
The Natures of God and of Humankind
mercy of Zechariah’s inspired prophecy especially CHAPTER shows the connection between mercy and salvation. In the
first stanza he emphasizes a coming Exodus-like salvation “to
10
show mercy to our fathers” (v. 72). But in the second he The Saving sings of “the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness Work of of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God” (w. Christ 77-78).Second, in Romans as Paul concludes his dis- cussion of Israel’s place in Gods plan, he refers to the be- stowal of God’s mercy on once-disobedient Gentiles in order that the now-disobedient Israelites may receive mercy. Paul says that God has imprisoned humankind as a in disobedience so that all may see that salvation depends on mercy, not national
Third, in Ephesians Paul shows the working of God’s love, mercy, and grace in saving us. The Greek text reads more literally, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made [us] alive with Christ.” The richness of His mercy moved Him to save.
Fourth, in Titus Paul joins mercy with two other tender words. God manifested His and when He saved us, “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew illustrates the New Testament teaching regarding God’s mercy. Even though the first servant owed a debt that was impossible to pay, the master did not seek unmercifully to extract it from him. Rather, he graciously forgave him. In Christ, God has done that for us.
Another way in which God shows His goodness is in saving grace. The words for the idea of grace that the Old Testament uses most often are “show favor” or “be gracious,” and its derived forms (especially and “faithful lovingkindness” or “unfailing love.” The former usually refers
the prophetic person uses the past tense to refer to future events,
for in God’s eyes it is as good as done. e.g., Isa. 53.
Greek expression emphasizes the collective unity of
the race.
says essentially the same thing in Gal. but in Gal. the Bible, as the expression of God’s will, declares our being imprisoned (Gk.
due to sin. It emphasizes promise, faith, and believing, rather than mercy, but the promise ‘given through faith in Jesus Christ” refers to receiving life and righteousness (v. i.e., salvation.
“goodness,” “kindness,” “generosity.”
“lovingkindness for humankind;” “kindhearted be- nevolence.”
Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective
CHAPTER
to bestowing favor in redeeming one from enemies (2 Rings10
Ps.or
in appeals for the forgiveness of sin (Pss. The Saving5
Isaiah says that the Lord longs to be gracious toWork of His people (Isa. but personal salvation is not in view Christ in any of these instances. The noun the phrase “to find favor in someone’s eyes” (of men: Gen. appears chiefly in
1 Sam. of God: Exod.
2 Sam.
always contains an element of loyalty to covenants and promises expressed spontaneously in acts of mercy and love. In the Old Testament the emphasis is on favor shown to the covenant people, though the nations are also
In the New Testament, “grace,” as the undeserved gift by which people are saved, appears primarily in Paul’s
It is “a central concept that most clearly expresses his un- derstanding of the salvation event showing free unmerited grace. The element of is constitutive.” Paul em- phasizes God’s action, not His nature. “He does not speak of the gracious God; he speaks of the grace that is
(sic) in the cross of In Ephesians Paul says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace,” for “it is by grace you have been saved” (Eph.
GOD’S LOVE
Without minimizing His patience, mercy, and grace, the Bible most frequently associates God’s desire to save us with His love. In the Old Testament the primary focus is on
enantal love, as in Deuteronomy 7:
did not set his affection Heb. on you and choose you because you were more numerous other peoples. But it was because the LORD loved [Heb. you and kept the oath
he swore to your forefathers that he redeemed you from the land of slavery. . . . you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of
love [Heb. with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love [Heb. you and bless you (w. 3).
Jer. The verse stands in a passage that is universal in scope, i.e., w. 23-26.
a notable exception, see Acts
Conzelmann, in of New
vol. 9 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Its
freeness reflects the “element of spontaneous freedom” found in See Gal.
The Natures of God and of Humankind
337
In a chapter of covenantal redemption the Lord says, ‘I have loved Heb. you with an everlasting love Heb.
I have drawn you with loving-kindness [Heb.
In spite of Israel’s backsliding and idolatry, The Saving
God loved with an everlasting love. Work of
The New Testament uses the words or to Christ
refer to God’s saving love. In prebiblical Greek the word had little power or strength. In the New Testament, however, its power and warmth are evident. “God is
(
1 John4: 16);
therefore “he gave his one and only (John
16)
to savehumankind. God has demonstrated His unmerited love in that while ‘we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. The New Testament gives ample testimony to the fact that God’s love impelled Him to save lost humankind. Therefore, all four of these attributes of God-patience, mercy, grace, and His goodness in providing for our If the Bible teaches that God’s goodness moved Him to save lost humankind, it also teaches that nothing external to himself compelled Him to do so. Redemption finds its source in His free and unfettered love and will. In Deuteronomy 7:7- 8 Moses points this out when he says that the Lord did not choose Israel because of who they were, but because He loved them and was faithful to His promise. Gods own char- acter (i.e., His love and faithfulness) was expressed in choos-
ing and redeeming them even though they were stiff-necked (Deut.
In Galatians Paul says that Christ ‘gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.’ On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached that Jesus was handed over to death “by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” (Acts Although we must not compromise the infinitely impelling power of divine love, we may not, on the other hand, compromise His sovereignty.
The New Testament preserves both in that it offers no theory of the Atonement, though it does give “several indi- cations of the principle on which atonement is
In spite of the nontheoretical approach of the New Testament,
should notice the frequency with which the Old Testament brings together in God all four of these characteristics. See Exod. Neh.
Pss. Joel and Jon. also Rom. and Eph.
also Deut. and
338
CHAPTER
10
The Saving Work of ChristSystematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective
Theories of the Atonement
339
through the years church theologians have advanced several As it often happens when there are several theories to explain a biblical truth, each may contain a kernel of that truth.
TH E ORIES OF THE
MORAL-INFLUENCE THEORY
The moral-influence theory (also called the love-of-God theory or exemplarism) is generally attributed to Peter
In stressing God’s love he rejected any idea that there was in God that which required satisfaction. God did not demand payment for sin, but in love He graciously forgave. In the Incarnation and the Cross we see a demonstration of God’s overwhelming love. This vision moves us to gratitude and love and therefore incites repentance, faith, and a desire to change our behavior. The moral-influence theory sees no atoning purpose or effect in the Cross.
We should not reject the theory out-of-hand. It contains truth. Don’t examples of bravery and kindness inspire us to change and to be brave and kind? One cannot look at the Cross and not be inspired. In singing the well-known hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” we give expression to this theory.
But though the theory correctly emphasizes God’s love, it is woefully inadequate in explaining the Bible says about the reason for the Cross. It fails to take fully into account God’s holiness and righteousness as well as biblical statements to the effect that Christ’s death accomplished a work of ex- piation, if not propitiation (Rom. Heb. 1 John It also does not demonstrate that a mere stirring of the emotions will lead to repentance. It gives no satisfactory ex- planation of how the Old Testament saints came to be saved. Alister McGrath says, “Perhaps one of the most serious
is the utter ambiguity of the cross. If the sole insight to be gained from the cross is that God loves us, why should he go about revealing it in so ambiguous a
it happened becomes understandable when we realize that none of the early creeds A.D. 325; Constantinople, 381;
45 1) formulated a theory of the Atonement. They were content simply to state that on the cross Christ effected salvation; they did not argue how. French intellectual: philosopher, teacher, and theologian (1079- 1142).
E. The of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 100.
If, in the Cross, Christ did nothing more than influence us, CHAPTER then His death is merely a performance for effect. The Bible
asserts much more.
The Saving Work of
RANSOM THEORY Christ
The theory that emphasizes Christ’s victory over Satan is sometimes called the ransom theory, or the devil-ransom or dramatic theory. Because of our sin we are under Satan’s domination. But because God loves us, He offered His Son to the devil as a ransom price to set us free. The evil one was more than glad to make the exchange, but he didn’t know that he could not keep Christ in Hades, and with the Res- urrection he lost both the ransom and his original prisoners. That this transaction involved God in deception, because He surely knew the outcome, did not trouble the church fathers. To them it merely meant that God was wiser and stronger than Satan. The humanity of Jesus was the bait that concealed the hook of His deity, and the devil took The fault was his, not God’s.
After Anselm this view disappeared, but in recent years a Swedish theologian, Gustaf Aulen ( revived the positive aspects of the theory in his classic work
Victor.
He emphasized the biblical truth that the death of Christ did defeat the devil (Heb. Col. Rev. Death and hell have been conquered (1 Cor. Rev.1: 18). The seed of the woman has crushed the serpent’s head (Gen. Seeing the Atonement as the victory over all the forces of evil must always be a vital part of our victorious proclamation of the gospel. We must not discard that truth while rejecting the idea that God cunningly deceived Satan into his defeat.
idea of Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 395). For a very brief sum- mary of the historical background of the various theories, see the article