All Articles For Contending for the Faith

Until now we have: been discussing Articles I-V of the Rejection of Errors of the second Head of our Canons, dealing with the atonement of Christ. Article VI reads as follows:

In our preceding article we quoted from Anselm’s book, “Cur Deum Homo,” in connection with his doctrine of the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. We now wish to conclude our discussion of Anselm’s view of the atonement by quoting from Rev. H. Hoeksema’s notes on this subject:

THE REFORMATION PERIOD  THE SYNOD OF DORDT  Before we call attention to the doctrine of atonement as set forth by our fathers at the Great Synod of Dordt, it is well to quote once more the second article of the Remonstrants, setting forth the Arminian presentation of this doctrine of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary:

In our preceding article we were quoting from Rev. Hoeksema’s notes in which he presents the views of Aquinas in the atonement of Christ. And Rev. Hoeksema’s first observation was that Aquinas denied that atonement was absolutely necessary, as Anselm had strenuously argued. We now continue with these quotations from Rev. Hoeksema’s notes.

Continuing with the history of the doctrine of the atonement as set forth during the early years of the Church in the New Dispensation, in the years, 80-254, we would now call attention to Tertullian Concerning this Church Father, we read in Vol. III of the Ante-Nicene Fathers the following, and we would quote: (A.D. 145-220) When our Lord repulsed the woman of Canaan, Matt. 15:22,

We concluded our preceding article with the remark that distinctive clarity of thought with respect to the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ did not characterize the doctrine and teachings of the church until later. This is understandable. It is always heresy and attacks upon the truths of the Word of God that evoke and call forth from the church its answer to these attacks upon the truth. This is true of the union of the divine and human natures as united in the one Divine Person of the Son. This is also true as far as the atonement and...

In our preceding article, beginning our treatment of the history of the dogma of the atonement as set forth by the Reformation, we called attention to what the Lutheran Formula of Concord sets forth with respect to the doctrine of predestination. And we concluded with the remark that, the Lord willing, we would call attention in our following article to certain glaring inconsistencies in this Formula of Concord.

We have made the remark in preceding articles that Calvin, in his discussion of the doctrine of the atonement in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, does not emphasize the particular character of the suffering and death of Christ. This, however, does not mean that the truth of the particular character of the grace of God and the sovereign character of God’s election and reprobation were not burning issues in the day and age of the Genevan reformer. They certainly were.

As stated in our preceding article, the doctrine setting forth the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ constitutes the second head of the Canons of Dordt. The first head treats the doctrine of God’s sovereign predestination. And we also stated in our preceding article that the truth of God’s sovereign predestination is vital and of primary importance. The truth that the Lord is sovereign in His decree of election and reprobation demands the truth of limited or particular atonement. They stand or fall together. 

In our preceding article we concluded our discussion of the doctrine of the resurrection of the body as set forth by the fathers during this early or first period of the church in the New Dispensation, during the years, 80-250 A.D. We have called attention to the return or second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is evident from certain passages of the New Testament that even at the time of the apostles there was a rather general expectation of an early second coming of the Lord. The expectation was kept alive and continued in the early church during...