Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors Part 24

One writer alone in the New Testament attempts an explanation of this influence. It is only an attempt, a mere hint, the germ of a theology: it is found in the Epistle to the Hebrews.(20)

According to these pa.s.sages Christ suffered,-1. To learn obedience; 2.

That he might thus become perfect; 3. By an entire cultivation of his sympathies with the tempted; 4. So as to become to them the author of eternal salvation by reconciling them to G.o.d.

This, we may observe, so far as it goes, is really a theory of atonement, and not a mere statement of the fact. Moreover, it seems to us to contain the germ of a far n.o.bler and deeper theory than any in which the Church has. .h.i.therto believed. It is more human, more rational, connected more with real experience and the solid facts of life.

-- 8. Value of Suffering as a Means of Education.

The sufferings of Christ were necessary for his own perfection, and suffering in some form or other is necessary for all perfection. It is often said that suffering in this world is casual, an accidental thing, arising from human mistakes, and that the time will come in which man will grow up into perfection without suffering. A perpetual sunlight is thought to be the best condition for the human plant. Pain and want stunt its growth, winter storms arrest its development; and so it is supposed that if we can get rid of this element of suffering, human beings will soon become all they ought to be. But the poet speaks more wisely who says,-

"To each their sufferings: all are men Condemned alike to groan; The feeling for another's woe, The unfeeling for his own."

For suppose that we could remove from the world all outward evil-get rid of sickness, pain, poverty, death. Would not the worst part of evil still remain? Would not discontent, selfishness, envy, wilfulness, cruelty, self-indulgence continue? All these exist-perhaps exist most frequently-where there is the least of outward evil; and the outward evil is the bitter medicine which comes by and by as a cure.

-- 9. The Human Conscience suggests the Need of some Satisfaction in order to our Forgiveness.

The central idea of the atonement is, that Christ has done something which enables G.o.d to forgive us our sin; and the reason why this doctrine of atonement seems so precious is, that we feel that there is a real difficulty in the way of forgiveness,-as if something else were necessary besides repentance,-as if some compensation or reparation should be made somehow to the offended law of G.o.d, or to the aggrieved holiness of G.o.d.

We do not say that this feeling is a true feeling: that question we must consider afterwards. But it is, at any rate, a natural feeling, whether it be founded on our knowledge of G.o.d or our ignorance of G.o.d. It is hard to believe that a _man_ whom we have injured will forgive us that injury merely because we ask him to do so, and are sorry for what we have done.

We feel that we must make some reparation before he can or ought to forgive us. Unquestionably, the conscience is the source of this feeling.

It led Zaccheus to say, "If I have done any man wrong, I restore him four-fold." A full reparation for an injury, accompanied with sorrow for having done it, the expression of which sorrow is confession, satisfies the conscience. Having done this, we feel that we have a right to be forgiven.

But it is very seldom that such full reparation can be made. The consequences of our wrong acts cannot usually be removed or effaced.

Wrong-doing is like the gate of h.e.l.l-easy to open, but difficult, if not impossible, to close again. "She opened, _but to shut_ excelled her power." Instead of reparation, therefore, the conscience subst.i.tutes retribution-either reparation or the penalty; and the natural form of the penalty is an equivalent. Natural justice says, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This the conscience thinks right; this is justice. All less than this is mercy; all more than this is revenge.

We think that if we a.n.a.lyze the feeling which the conscience gives us concerning the consequences of wrong-doing, it is this: First, conscience demands reparation to the injured party; second, it demands punishment as a satisfaction to be made to the law of right, and this suffering to be accepted as just by the guilty party; and thirdly, it declares that guilt should produce an alienation or separation between the guilty party and those who are not guilty.

To ill.u.s.trate all this, let us suppose a case. A man, hitherto respected and trusted by society commits some great breach of trust, and robs the community. What does the conscience in such a case demand? First, that he should give up his property, and make, if he can, full rest.i.tution; second, that he should endure some suffering-that he should not continue to enjoy, as before, all his accustomed privileges; and third, that he should not retain his standing in society, and receive, as before, the countenance and esteem of honorable persons. Conscience requires that he should make atonement to those he has injured by rest.i.tution; to the law of right, which he has offended, by suffering some punishment; and to honorable men by keeping out of their way.

This, which the conscience teaches of an injury done to man, it also teaches of an injury done to G.o.d. The offence against man is _a crime_; the offence against G.o.d is _a sin_. For a crime, the conscience requires rest.i.tution, punishment with confession, and alienation from the good, which is shame. For a sin, the conscience requires, in like manner, rest.i.tution, punishment, and alienation. It merely transfers to G.o.d's justice the ideas of atonement which human justice has given to it.

But G.o.d's justice is not like man's. The ideas of atonement so abstracted are essentially false; and to convince us of their falsehood is one of the objects of Christ's death. It is to show us that G.o.d does _not_ demand this full rest.i.tution, does _not_ intend to inflict this punishment, and is _not_ alienated from the penitent sinner. The death of Christ has done this.

-- 10. How the Death of Jesus brings Men to G.o.d.

As a matter of fact, the death of Christ has enabled men to come to G.o.d.

"They who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." As a matter of fact, it has lifted men above the fear of G.o.d into the love of G.o.d. And this must be a divine work. Not the mere death of the human being could have done this; but the G.o.d who dwelt in him has uttered his tender love, his forgiving grace, from the cross. "G.o.d was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." The death of Christ is an expression of G.o.d's free grace. If we regard Christ, in his life and character, as a manifestation of G.o.d's will, then his pathetic and tender death reveals to us that G.o.d loves us even when we are sinners, before reparation or repentance; "for, while we were sinners, Christ died for us."

There is, however, a difficulty in _believing_ that we can be forgiven.

This difficulty is in the conscience; and,-

(_a._) To say _there is no difficulty_, will not remove it.

(_b._) To say that _repentance and good works_ are enough, will not remove it.

(_c._) To say that _G.o.d is merciful_, will not remove it; for the difficulty lies in the _conscience_, which declares that every sin is,-

1. An injury done to G.o.d.

2. An injury to the moral universe; inasmuch as it is an example of evil, and a defiance of right.

3. An injury to ourselves, by putting us away from G.o.d, the source of life, and alienating us from him.

Now, it is true that the New Testament says, "Repent, and be converted, and your sins shall be blotted out;" "Believe, and be saved." It is true that if we will believe ourselves forgiven, we shall be forgiven. But how can we believe it, when the inward voice of conscience is always saying that G.o.d ought not to forgive us without some reparation made for the injury done to himself, to the universe, and to ourselves?

We need something to believe in-some manifestation, some object. Something we need done by G.o.d to a.s.sure us that he is in earnest in desiring us to come and be reconciled to him.

Now, the _sufferings and death_ of Christ seem to be this object: they enable us to believe in forgiveness, and so to be forgiven; they meet the difficulty of the conscience, and relieve it of its threefold embarra.s.sment. For, in regard to the injury done to G.o.d, Christ's sufferings are subst.i.tution, or vicarious suffering. I do not say vicarious _punishment_. The innocent cannot be _punished_ in the place of the guilty; but he can suffer, and constantly _does_ suffer, in the place of the guilty. These two laws are announced in the Old Testament: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die;" "The wickedness of parents shall be on the children." If a man is alone, he must bear _all_ the consequences of his sins; but if he have friends and children, they will relieve him of some by their self-sacrificing kindness: their _sufferings_ take the place of his _punishment_. How often a wife does this!-interposing her sufferings between her husband's sins and their penalty. And what a profound impression is made by it of the evil of sin! It torments innocent women and children; it shipwrecks the peace of a family. What an effect is produced on the man himself! What a reproach and tender rebuke to him is this! The sufferings of Christ are _subst.i.tuted_ in this way for ours, according to this law; and this divine subst.i.tution is continued in the sacrifices of Christians. Missionaries and martyrs, by their zeal, patience, and generosity, carry out the sacrifice of Christ. This is G.o.d in Christ working in us and in the Church, and working for sinners.

Then, as to the _injury to the world_ by the contempt sin does to the law, the sufferings of Christ are _satisfaction_: they satisfy the divine law; they make an impression of the importance of the law. But here, again, it is not merely Christ alone who does it, but G.o.d in Christ, and Christ in the Church, who honor the divine law by the respect produced for it. They bring us to repentance; they make us feel the sinfulness of sin; show us the misery it causes to those who love us,-how it pains G.o.d, pains Christ, pains the good, and pains our friends. So we feel it, and show it by true penitence, and so honor the law. The law is _satisfied_ when the sufferings of Christ and his followers, caused by sin, lead men to abhor sin, and love righteousness.

As to the injury which _sin does to a man himself_ by separating him from G.o.d's love, and making him at enmity with G.o.d, and G.o.d's wrath on him, the sufferings of Christ are _reconciliation_. "G.o.d was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." Why was G.o.d alienated from man? Because he is holy.

How can an unholy person be at one with a holy G.o.d? The answer is this: G.o.d comes into his heart by Christ, to form Christ within him, and to make him holy as Christ was holy. He sees that when united with Christ his sinfulness is killed in its roots, and a seed of perfect purity is planted in his soul; and so G.o.d is able to be at one with him through his union with Christ: "I in them, and thou in me, that we may be perfectly at one."

A love for Christ in the heart forms Christ within us. He is our life, our motive power, our aim; and so he casts out the root of our sin, and brings us to G.o.d.

Thus we see that, even though we should reject all the Orthodox theories about atonement, we may accept the fact. We can believe that G.o.d in Christ _does_ reconcile the world to himself,-_does_ create a sense of pardoned sin,-_does_ remove the weight of transgression,-_does_ take away the obstacle in our conscience,-_does_ help us into a living faith, hope, peace, and joy.

Moreover, Christ is really a sacrifice for sin-a real and true sin-offering. For what were the sin-offerings under the law? How did they remove sin? Not by themselves (it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to remove sin), but because they were an appointment of G.o.d, and so showed G.o.d's disposition. They showed that his holiness was displeased with evil; they showed that he loved the sinner, and wished to make him holy. So the death of Christ is a true sacrifice in exactly the same way, but in a higher degree, convincing us of the evil of sin and the love of G.o.d.

The experience of the whole Church teaches the power of this faith to create in our souls a new life of love. Seeing G.o.d coming to us in Christ to reconcile us to himself, and freely forgiving our sins, removes from our hearts doubt, anxiety, and the burden of hard responsibility, and fills the soul with a deep peace and joy in believing. So felt the apostle Peter when the Master forgave him his denial. From the fountain of that forgiveness flowed forth a river of devotion. So felt Paul when forgiven by Jesus; so felt Augustine, so Ambrose, so Luther, so Wesley: because they had been forgiven much, they loved much; for to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

The practical conclusion is, that it is less important to speculate as to the _how_, than to endeavor to see the fact. What we need is faith in G.o.d's pardoning, redeeming, saving love in Christ Jesus-faith that our sins are blotted out; that we can come at once to our Father; that we can come boldly to the throne of grace; that the infinite Father looks at us with love when we are a great way off, and says, "This my son was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found."

We may therefore, when we are conscious of going wrong and of doing wrong, instead of trying to reform ourselves alone by our own strength, go first to G.o.d, and be forgiven through faith in the great sacrifice of Christ: "When G.o.d hath set forth to be a propitiation (or mercy seat), through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of G.o.d, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

-- 11. This Law of Vicarious Suffering universal.

Orthodoxy, in all its theories concerning the influence of the death of Jesus, has supposed his case exceptional and his work peculiar. It would be very shocking to most Orthodox minds to suppose that the same law of vicarious sacrifice applies to others; that the sufferings and death of the good, in all ages, have helped to atone for evil; have enabled sinners to obtain pardon. But such, we believe, is the fact.

Jesus Christ came, providentially, as the typical and perfect man-the one who was sent by G.o.d, in his providence, to ill.u.s.trate what humanity is to be and to do. If this is so, then Christ did essentially nothing but that which is finally to be done by _all_, in some degree, or some way. He is a channel, a mediator, through whom G.o.d's life flows into ours; but then he makes us also mediators, by whom _his_ life shall flow to others. He is the image of G.o.d; but every true Christian is, again, the image of Christ.

For what Christ did, and was, was no afterthought, no exception, but a part of the plan of the universe. He was "foreordained before the foundation of the world, but manifest in these last times." He was the "Lamb of G.o.d, slain from the foundation of the world." That is, his coming, his character, his death, his resurrection, his miracles, were all a part of a divine law. And all G.o.d's laws are the same "yesterday, to-day, and forever."