Penal substitution" its getting messy"

This is inresponce to hobbits question of my Ressurection rant.
you can read his responce at that one (sorry about spelling).



Thanks for taking the time to answer my blog,

Some thoughts on 'cosmic child abuse', the trouble is with the whole doctrine of penal substitution is what you mean by it. I will explain the hard line penal substitution view as expounded by Johnathan Edwards (the puritan not the long jumper)see

http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards/works2/htm/xi.v.htm

In brief it states that

1)all men have sinned
2)A punishment is directly proportional to the crime
3)The greater the person the sin is against the greater the crime
4)all sin is against the infinitely high god
therefore
5)mans sin is infinite as it is against the most high god
therefore
6)An infinte punishment is deserved as the sin is infinite (proportianlity)
7)Man is not infinite
therefore
8)Man cannot pay for sin
9)Jesus is the GodMan and is perfectly inocent
10)As man he can take the punishment for us and as God he can take infinite punishment
11) As he has no sin himself the removal of guilt is able to be applied to everyone

Problem
As it says in proverbs that it is a great wrong for the righteous to suffer for sins they have not commited.

Problem
As you rightly pointed out if christ does not take the punishment for our sins our punishment remains.

Solution

The problem with penal substitution is that it becomes the great cosmic equation 'stock exchange divinity'

Certianly the judgement of God is dealt with but this is through the incarnation. Christ enters into sinful flesh and thus under the judgement of God. He is made part of the exiled Isreal, and the exiled humanity. As such he identifies completely with the guilty and takes upon himself the judgement on humanity viz death. By living in the humanity that is fallen, by the power of the Spirit, he bring our humanity which is at variance with God and reconciles it to the perfect will of the Father. The Fathers will including the judgement of God on fallen man. By following obediently through this judgement he is offers the perfect blood sacrafice to God.

He then to be ressurected by the power of Spirt because he has in his person reconciled Man to God through his blood-obedience. The Act of the one righteous man. Humanity is finaly and ontologicaly reconciled to God through the ressurection.

This is just a glimpse of judgement on the cross without penal substitution, but with substitution.

Richard

For thoughts like these read the actuality of Atonement
by Gunton