I should begin by saying that a great many commentators see this section of Isaiah as a dual commentary on both Israel and the then coming Messiah, as you know. A lot of flowery, poetic language is used which might not be intended as strictly literal in its aims. Applicability to Christ should, their thinking goes, not be assumed to be necessarily intentional. Or even wholly appropriate.
Having said all of that, I'm undecided, personally, on whether I subscribe to that school of thought. The reasons for that are too lengthy to go into here. It's sufficient, however, to say that if the above passage is assumed to refer to Our Lord,
Are you actually saying that Is. 53 need not be referring to the Lord Jesus, but may refer to Israel instead? If so, how (even if RCs may be so liberal) can you do so even as a RC?
And likewise, do you really allow that "flowery, poetic language" such as "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6) does not necessarily refer to God laying our guilt upon Christ and of Him bearing our sins in His own body, becomes sin as it were, and the Lord literally suffering for our sins?
this does not disagree with Satisfaction Theory.
No, not as the OP describes it, but as also described, the objective question is why the Lord would be inclined/pleased to bruise/break the Lord, and make His souls an offering for sin, as per penal, versus merely a substitution (though it was that as well)?
I do usually get into this debate, and certainly all the 3k+ souls saved in Acts 2 did not know the precise differences btwn the two when they trusted the Lord Jesus to save them by His sinless shed blood. I do not subscribe to the idea that Christ had to suffer in Hell, or the equivalent of eternal torment, but that after doing everything Right, He took responsibility for everything we (not just the Elect) did wrong, and paid the price for our forgiveness with His sinless shed blood, which He purchased the church with (and the Lord's supper is to declare).
This does not disagree with Satisfaction Theory.
...This does not disagree with Satisfaction Theory.
I do not think the argument was that it did.
redleghunter said: ↑ And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
This idiomatic language describes Christ's suffering. Does it follow then that He is being judged literally guilty of our sins and punished by God the Father? I don't think so.
Bearing iniquity and bearing guilt are not the same thing.
So this is merely describing Christ's suffering? And He is not being punished for sins? No, for rather than describing Christ's suffering, as some other parts do, it is describing the why of Christ's suffering. And surely the Lord was fulfilling the role of the scapegoat of Leviticus 16 as well as being the unblemished atonement in Is. 53. And thus Christ,
"his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree," "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit," (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13)
And you did not not explain how God can lay upon Christ iniquity of all without bearing their guilt, by imputation though not as actually guilty.
This may not to disagree with Satisfaction Theory, but RLH is arguing it does not go far enough. As far as i understand it, in
Anselmian substitutionary atonement Christ suffers for us thereby restoring to God the honor sin took away (that to sin is for man "not to render his due to God," Cur Deus Homo, Book I, XI), thus saving believers from punishment ("The honor taken away must be repaid, or punishment must follow," Cur Deus Homo Bk 1 Ch 8).
Whereas in
penal substitution Christ is punished instead of us, satisfying the demands of justice so God can justly forgive the sins. (cf. Romans 3:25; 6:23) Both theories affirm the substitutionary and vicarious nature of the atonement, but penal substitution means the punishment for sin required the blood atonement of Christ.
I have seen Protestants affirm Satisfaction Theory. If they do so at variance with the official teachings of their own ecclesial communities, my respect for them will have gone up.
Broadly speaking, did not Martin Luther> But it depends how precise the definitions are. Some excerpts:
SBC [largest Prot denom]: Christ "honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin."
- First London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1646: Those that have union with Christ, are justified from all their sins by the blood of Christ, which justification is a gracious and full acquittance of a guilty sinner from all sin, by God, through the satisfaction that Christ hath made by His death for all their sins, and this applied (in manifestation of it) through faith.
- Articles of Religion of Methodism, 1784, 1808: Christ, very God and very Man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile us to His Father, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.
- United Methodist Confession of Faith: We believe God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The offering Christ freely made on the cross is the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, redeeming man from all sin, so that no other satisfaction is required.
- Westminster Confession of Faith: Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.
- The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He, through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto Him.
- Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s justice in their behalf. Yet, inasmuch as He was given by the Father for them; and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead; and both, freely, not for anything in them; their justification is only of free grace; that both the exact justice, and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.
- National Association of Evangelicals: We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
redleghunter said: ↑ And you started this all by calling PSA a heresy
I was right about that, incidentally.
Nonsense. The church who decrees so is heretical.