The atonement is the completed sacrificial work of Christ in His life and death to satisfy the Laws demands unto God the Father. The atonement deals with the problem of sin, so that in mercy, fallen mankind might be restored to a relationship with God. It literally means at-one-ment; what was done so we might be at one with God.
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Why was this needed? In the Garden, Adam and Eve needed to obey the Law, or Covenant of Works (Gen 2:15), or face the consequence/wage. The Law demanded perfect obedience (righteousness) or the wage/consequence would be perfect justice (Ro 6:23a). In breaking the Covenant they died spiritually and began to die physically. They were cut off from God and under His wrath.

Grudem defines the atonement simply as, “The work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation.” (Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1236; c.f. 1689.8.4).

Since we were: a) disobedient, and b) are under just sentence, Jesus’ atoning work had a twofold nature to it: His active obedience and passive obedience.

• Active obedience: Jesus lived the perfect life, the life we should have lived (Phil 3:9; Mt 3:15; Ro 5:19; 2 Cor 5:21, etc). He was perfect as a child, perfect in temptation, perfect in ministry, perfect under the Law, perfect in suffering and death. In this He ‘fulfilled righteousness’ and the Father accepted His perfect life and fulfillment of the Law as righteous.
• Passive obedience: In His suffering and death, Jesus paid the punishment and final penalty for breaking the Law, for sin, which was suffering and ultimately death. Jesus suffered in leaving heaven, He suffered in living amongst sinners, He suffered when He was tempted, He suffered when His family wouldn’t believe in Him and when He was rejected, He suffered the loss of friends, He suffered betrayal. Finally, in Gathsemane as He sweat blood (not merely because of what He would face but what He received [the sentence of sin deserved]), He took the penalty of sin and bore it to Calvary through His Passion (suffering). He further suffered abandonment (God and friends), arrest, injustice, scourging, mockery, jeers and crucifixion, where the full wrath of God toward sin was poured out upon Jesus until complete payment/satisfaction was made to the Father, until He died (blood). He was a man of sorrows (Isa 53:3) who made atonement for sin (again 2 Cor 5:21, Ro 3:25, 1 Pe 2:24, etc).

The atonement, both Jesus’ active and passive obedience, fulfilled the Laws demands unto the Father such that in Christ, the Father would accept His substitute for the believer. Jesus did the work that was needed so that at-one-ment could be made. Faith is how we access these benefits. By faith, Christ’s active obedience (righteousness) is imputed/credited to our account. When the Father sees us, He now sees His Son’s perfect righteousness. By faith, our sin/unrighteousness is credited to Christ, such that because of His death/penalty, we can go free, forgiven, our account cleared. Both are needed to be at-one with God, otherwise we could be forgiven but not fit for heaven, etc.

Atonement is what Christ did. Justification by faith is how the sinner accesses Christ’s merits to be declared just, or righteous (both morally and legally).
 
Other blogs on the atonement.

As a Christian, I am a fundamentalist; I uphold the fundamentals of the faith.

Fundamentalism began in the late 1800s in response to theological/biblical liberalism that denied key tenants of the faith. Initially Fundamentalism was a thoughtful response to defend the faith (Jud 3) but by the 1920s was it was becoming increasing militant (i.e. an angry evangelical). At this time Fundamentalism emerged on the one hand and [classic] conservative evangelicalism/Baptists on the other. So today you’ll hear of Fundamentalist Baptists and other streams of Baptists. This is why I’m a fundamentalist Baptist but not a Fundamentalist Baptist.
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*Not all Fundamentalists Baptist believe all of the following; nor is this meant to be a caricature. Rather, it is a thoughtful comparison. 

A message preached at Grey Gables on God's presence and Josh 1:9. 

To be a man is, fundamentally, to be humble.

*Men's breakfast talk, Nov 2, 2024. 

OPENER: Role models as you grew up (uncles, cousins, pastor). Q- Who were/are your role models?

PAST Men’s Breakfasts we’ve considered various questions about manhood. Today we want to consider the 1st and 2nd Adam (Adam and Jesus, c.f. 1 Cor 15) as role models. If there is one thing they have in common it is humility.

Worldly men/boys are portrayed as vastly different in the media, etc, than spiritual men since the Fall. Q- How do we see this?

1st ADAM
Adam was our example and role model in humility as the first man. Humility may be defined as: a) entire dependence on God (vertical-think the Great Commandment- ‘loving God’), and b) counting others as more significant than yourself (Phil 2, horizontal-again, the Great Commandment- ‘loving others’). It isn’t about a false modesty but seeing yourself rightly (in relation to God and others).

Activity for the boys- practice bowing and kneeling prostrate, explaining the meaning.

However, the Fall changed all of this. Read Gen 3:5. What was the first sin? It was prIde, the desire to be as God: to be worshipped, served, to set right and wrong, etc.

In ADAM
Story: When I was a teenager an elderly man whom I did not know stopped me on the street to ask if I was Jack Crocker’s grandson. He didn’t know me but knew I looked like my grandfather!

Q- Are there any family resemblances amongst our boys/fathers here today?

As Adam’s descendants the spiritual apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. We are all proud.

Activity for the boys: How might we act out being proud (pointing, strutting, crossed arms)? Can we act this out? Very different from bowing!?

In Adam we follow his pride, not his humility.

2nd ADAM
Jesus did what the 1st Adam couldn’t do, He perfectly obeyed the Father, earning believer’s His righteousness. He also died a perfect death, the death we deserve to die, so believer’s might have forgiveness. He even rose from the dead so that He might offer us new life. All of this He did through humility (Phil 2- humility horseshoe).

Q- How did Jesus show humility?

Jesus humility is the means of salvation; our humility to the Gospel the means of receiving it. To be saved me must become utterly humble.

Activity for the boys: Using a retractable poll we played LIMBO!

In CHRIST
Once we are saved by faith (justified) we go on being saved by the Spirit (sanctification), in which humility is just as important, indeed a fruit of the Spirit! Read Col 2:6.

Q- How were we called? (we have some newly baptized believers here) (humility, repentance, faith, etc). We’re called to continue to walk in this same way.
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Today, to be a man is to be humble. Q- How can we display humility as men of God today?
Christ is our role model, and as we follow Him, we are the role model of humility for others (1 Cor 11:1). 

See pt. 1/3

What is suicide?
Suicide is self-killing or self-murder. It is a compound word of sui (self) and caedere (to slay). It speaks of the act of self-killing, which was a crime in Canada until it was decriminalized in 1972.
Historically suicide was an immoral and criminal act, even as sympathy surrounded a situation.

​Today, the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme where we speak of someone being the victim of suicide (as a mental health illness) and neutralize the language: “taking one’s life” “decided to end one’s life,” “loosing someone to [the battle of] suicide,” “dying suddenly.” This is what suicide is and two different views, one stressing responsibility and the other victimhood.

What does the Bible say about suicide?
As an effect of the Fall, suicide is almost as old as humanity. There are 7 passages that are clearly describe suicide in the Bible: Abimelech (Jud 9:52–54); Ahithophel (2 Sam 17:23); Zimri (1 Ki 16:18); Saul and also his armour bearer (1 Sam 31); Samson (Jud 16:28); and Judas (Mt 27:3–5). These can be categorized as self-sacrifice, cowardice in battle, folly and guilt. The two most famous are Saul (who through a series of faithless choices show himself to be an inglorious king) and Judas (whose guilt overcame him, yet note how Peter likewise betrayed Jesus but chose life…).

These two examples show us that suicide is not portrayed positively in the Bible. It does not love God. It defames the image of God and our responsibility to live the life God gave us to be stewards of, is contrary to our nature to preserve life and does not trust in the Lord but self. It also does not love others, bringing untold harm to first responders, family, colleagues and communities (not to mention breaking responsibilities to them).  Most clearly, it breaks the 6th commandment, thou shalt not murder. Murder is always immoral in the Bible from Cain, to violence in the days of Noah, to the 10 Commandments to Revelation that reminds us that all unrepentant sinners, no matter their crime, will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Rev 22:15).

Such Christian views, and other life-giving forces, formed the bulwark against suicide in the past. Today, with the decline of Christianity has come the rise of suicide. A Canadian Mental Health document notes: “Protective factors: Religious Beliefs- Moral objections to suicide and self-injury tend to be a factor in preventing this behaviour.”[1]

When it comes to suicide, Christians have always leant toward responsibility, all the while seeking to be gracious and sympathetic. We must balance truth and grace.

Biblically, why might someone commit suicide?
            Demonic possession (e.g. Judas)
            Temptation (responding to Satan’s voices)
            To end the pain, fear, guilt, hopelessness or loneliness, often the result of an accumulation of            bad choices (vs. turning from sin and trusting in Jesus, whose Gospel provides a solution to                  each)
            Revenge (yes, some people commit suicide as a twisted form of revenge)
            Believing lies vs the truth, confusion (i.e. the lie that suicide will remove the problem when                   in fact, being outside of Christ, it makes it worse—hell).
            Acute mental disturbance where the mind lacks cognitive ability (itself an effect of the Fall)
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The emphasis on spirituality, morality and responsibility all strikes modern secularists as out of touch with reality. To them, our being is the sum of our brain and body. If our brain is ill, one cannot help but become the victim of its troubles. While there are mental illness we are born with or arise naturally, the choices we make can lead to a mental health problem and ultimately an illness (as in drunk driving, a series of bad choices can culminate in tragedy that still bears responsibility) (c.f. Martin Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Melancholy). However, even the brain is a mystery, even to leading psychologists. Little wonder, as we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139). Our Creator would remind us that we are not simply body, but body, soul and spirit. Here too lies a great mystery. It also reminds us that, in regards suicide, there is an ethical and spiritual component to our health, not merely mental. One needs a holistic view, both in terms of understanding and recovery. 

How to get/offer help?
While the immorality of suicide must be affirmed (truth) we ought also be compassionate (grace) toward those who are in the pit (Ps 40), for people in pits need someone to help answer their cries, ultimately the Lord. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide get help immediately, don’t rob yourself of the future. You can speak with a friend or family member, seek professional help (including a pastor), call help lines like 988 (Canada’s mental health hotline), or most importantly cry out to the Lord. Likewise, if you think someone is at risk of suicide you can call 988 for advise or take the ASSIST course for suicide intervention.


[1] Mental Health First Aid Canada (2019), Section 4, page 2.