Limited Atonement: A Mere Logical Deduction?

In studying the Reformed doctrine of limited (or particular) atonement, I turned to A Theology for the Church, ed. Daniel L. Akin (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2007) in order to see how my Baptist brothers dealt with this doctrine. Dr. Paige Patterson, who articulates an Amyraldian view of the atonement in his chapter "The Work of Christ," critiques the Reformed doctrine of limited atonement by simply stating,

"The idea of an atonement limited only to the elect is a concept that belongs to a logical system" (585-6).

In presenting John Owen's exegetical view of the doctrine of limited atonement, Carl R. Trueman responds to charges such as this. He writes,

It is important to make this point at the start, because there are many who see limited atonement as a mere logical deduction from the doctrine of election and reprobation. That is far too simplistic a way of looking at it, because there is considerable exegesis underlying the notion of limited atonement and a great deal of sophisticated reflection upon the connections between Old Testament and New Testament in the development of the concept. Thus, to disagree with limited atonement you must disagree with the exegesis that underlies it and reject the understanding of the relationship between Old Testament types and New Testament antitypes. You should not dismiss limited atonement as a naïve, overly logical deduction from [the] doctrine of election, because that simply is not the case." [Carl R. Trueman. "Post-Reformation Developments in the Doctrine of the Atonement," in Precious Blood: The Atoning Work of Christ, ed. Richard D. Phillips (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2009), 197-8.]

Three classic studies on the atonement which include detailed exegetical work on the subject of the extent of the atonement are:

1. John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955 [reprinted in 1984]. 
2. Leon Morris, The Atonement. Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1983. 
3. John Owen, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1983. 

Limited Atonement: A Mere Logical Deduction?

Reviews of Packer and Dever's In My Place Condemned He Stood

In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement. J. I Packer and Mark Dever. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008, 192 pp., $16.99, paperback.

Crossway | WTS | Amazon (Kindle edition) | CBD

• ISBNs: 1433502003 / 9781433502002
• Browse this book online here
  
• Contents
• Excerpt: Foreword, Preface, and Introduction - 120K PDF

Here are a few links to some noteworthy reviews:

• Erik Raymond (posted May 20, 2008 @ Irish Calvinist) - A short, positive review.


Another positive of this book is the thoughtful and thorough bibliography by Ligon Duncan. Duncan highlights great books that are available to us on the work of Christ. This is truly helpful.

• Brad Loser (posted June 17, 2008 @ Think Worship) - A short, positive review that offers some enticing quotes such as the following:


"a gospel without propitiation at its heart is another gospel than that which Paul preached." - Packer, pg 32

• Allen Mickle (posted October 22, 2008 @ Working out Salvation with Fear and Trembling) - A lengthier, positive review.
  


At the heart of the ministry is the atoning work of Christ. As Paul said, we preach Christ and Him crucified. No pastor, ministry leader, or Christian for that matter, can afford to not think through the scriptural teaching on the atonement. Particularly we need to see the reality of the death the unbeliever is in. Our synergistic approach to salvation, so prevalent in today’s society, needs to be eradicated from our thoughts. Dead means dead. The unbeliever has no power to save himself or even to participate with God in saving him. He is dead in trespasses and sins. He has angered God and that anger needs to be appeased. The ultimate sacrifice necessary to appease the anger of an infinite God is in the matchless death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He stood in our place condemned so we could be redeemed. He paid the penalty in our stead. This is the very foundation of salvation.

Reviews of Packer and Dever's In My Place Condemned He Stood

Book Review: Pierced for Our Transgressions

Please see Doug Smith's enthusiastic review of following:

Jeffery, Steve, Michael Ovey & Andrew Sach. Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution. Forward by John Piper. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2007. Trade Paperback, 373 pages. $25.00.

(Review copies courtesy of Crossway Books.)

Purchase: Crossway | WTS | CBD | Amazon

ISBNs: 1433501082 / 9781433501081

Special Features: Bibliography (pp. 337-351), Index of Names, and Index of Biblical References

Table of Contents

Excerpts (includes ten pages of Endorsements, Forward by John Piper, Acknowledgments, and Chapter 1: Introduction)

Subjects: Theology, Soteriology, Atonement

Steve Jeffery is a pastor at Holy Trinity, Lyonsdown, in North London. He has a M.S. and Ph.D. in experimental physics from Oxford University. He is married to Nicole, and they have three children: Ben, Becki and Abi.

Mike Ovey is principal-elect and lecturer in Doctrine and Apologetics at Oak Hill Theological College. He has a Ph.D. in Trinitarian Theology from King’s College, London. He is married to Heather, and they have three children: Charlie, Harry and Anastasia.

Andrew Sach studied theology at Oak Hill Theological College and is now on the staff of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate, in central London. He has a Ph.D. from York University.

The word controversy does not usually suggest pleasant thoughts. We often associate division, harsh words, and even confusion with the concept of controversy. But controversy can have its benefits. Some serious controversies in church history have actually been great blessings to the church. They sharpened fuzzy thinking on the deity of Christ and on the Trinity. These controversies resulted in clarity, making clear the distinction between false teaching and sound doctrine. The controversy over the Bible doctrine of Christ’s penal substitutionary death has brought to light such works as Pierced for Our Transgressions: Recovering the Glory of Penal Substitution. This book is a blessing because it not only brings clarity to the controversy but also edifies in its tone (as opposed to being harsh as some would expect in a polemical work), evangelistically useful, and theologically sound. (This review has been posted on SharperIron. Read more here.)

Book Review: Pierced for Our Transgressions