The Roman Catholic Church shares many basic tenets with evangelical Protestants such as: the doctrine of the Trinity, the inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Christ, and His virgin birth, atoning death and bodily resurrection. However, there are many other tenets in which the Catholic Church differs from other Christians, many of which became historically relevant during the Reformation. Most significant are: •its understanding of justification, which denies the Protestant doctrine of justification through faith alone by grace alone •its understanding of the relationship between Tradition and Scripture which denies the Protestant doctrine that Scripture takes precedence over church teaching and tradition. •its mediatorial priesthood and the theology of its Mass. •its beliefs surrounding Mary and the saints.
· Christ's death was a substitute for a penalty, not "an actual penalty inflicted on him as a substitute for the penalty that should have attached to the breaking of the law by individual sinners." · God demonstrated through Christ's death "what God's justice will require us to suffer if we continue to sin." · It demonstrates what will occur if humans continue to sin against God's law. "The spectacle of the sufferings Christ bore is enough to deter us from sin." (2)
3. If humans will turn from sin, God will forgive them and preserve His moral government. "Because of Christ's death, then, it is possible for God to forgive sins without a breakdown of the moral fiber of the universe."
1. God is holy and righteous and has established laws in his moral government. Sin is the violation of those laws. The dominant attribute of God in this theory, however, is love. "God loves the human race. Although he has the right to punish it for its sin, it is not necessary or mandatory that he do so. He can forgive sin and absolve humans of guilt". He has chosen to [forgive sin] in such a way that it manifests at once both his clemency and severity. God can forgive sin, but he also takes into consideration the interests of his moral government. 'It is possible for God to relax the law so that he need not exact a specific punishment or penalty for each violation.'" (1)
2. Christ's death served as a substitute for punishment. It was in the best interests of humankind for Christ to die. Forgiveness of their sins, if too freely given, would have resulted in undermining the law's authority and effectiveness. It was necessary, therefore, to have an atonement that would provide grounds for forgiveness and simultaneously retain the structure of moral government. Christ's death served to accomplish both ends.
The Governmental theory of the atonement (also known as the moral government theory) maintains that Christ was not punished on behalf of the human race. Instead, God publicly demonstrated his displeasure with sin by punishing his own sinless and obedient Son as a propitiation. Because Christ's suffering and death served as a subsititute for the punishment humans might have received, God is able to extend forgiveness while maintaining divine order, having demonstrated the seriousness of sin and thus appeasing his wrath. "This [governmental atonement] view holds that Christ by His death actually paid the penalty for no man's sin. What His death did was to demonstrate what their sins deserved at the hand of the just Governor and Judge of the universe, and permits God justly to forgive men if on other grounds, such as their faith, their repentance, their works, and their perseverance, they meet His demand. ...
11/26/13 2:16 AM
12/18/06 8:07 PM
