02/19/2024Particular Baptist PedagogyAn Orthodox Catechism: Question 36The meaning of “He Suffered”The language of this question may give pause to some of my reformed friends. On the surface, it might appear to deny limited atonement with the language, “against the sin of all mankind.” However, there is broad consensus that this is not what is being communicated by the catechism. R. Scott. Clark makes the following notes about this question, “It’s true that John and the catechism both speak ...
02/19/2024
Particular Baptist Pedagogy
An Orthodox Catechism: Question 36
The meaning of “He Suffered”
The language of this question may give pause to some of my reformed friends. On the surface, it might appear to deny limited atonement with the language, “against the sin of all mankind.” However, there is broad consensus that this is not what is being communicated by the catechism.
R. Scott. Clark makes the following notes about this question,
“It’s true that John and the catechism both speak of Christ’s death relative to the whole world or human race. Christ’s death is sufficient for every human who ever lived. The question is what he and his Father intended by the atonement. We don’t confess a universal atonement.
There were advocates, in the 17th century, of hypothetical universalism but they were not the mainstream of Reformed orthodoxy. Our confessions did not adopt that doctrine nor did most of our theologians. Heidegger and Turretin and with them the Swiss Reformed Churches rejected it in 1675.
If we study John’s usage carefully, we will see that “world” in John 3:16 was never intended to mean “everyone who ever lived.” Here is B. B. Warfield on love and world in John 3:16.
We do not need to choose between atonement and common grace.”
This discussion, as well as some links to additional discussion of this topic may be found at the path below.
https://heidelblog.net/2014/10/what-do-we-mean-by-suffered/
If you’d like to hear an episode about Question 36 and limited atonement, email me! If I get enough responses I’ll pull something together!
An Orthodox Catechism was written by Hercules Collins in 1680 and is a revision of The Heidelberg Catechism, modified to reflect the views of Particular Baptists.
The edition of An Orthodox Catechism used for these recordings was edited by Michael A.G. Haykin and G. Stephen Weaver, Jr, published in 2014 by RBAP. It can be purchased from Amazon at the link below.
https://shorturl.at/aoQ13
The music in this episode is "The Beat of Nature" by Olexy. You can find his page on Pixabay at the link below.
https://pixabay.com/users/olexy-25300778/
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SDG
Scripture References for Question 36:
a.
Isaiah 53:12
1 Peter 2:4
1 Peter 3:18
b.
1 John 2:2
1 John 4:10
The text of the scripture proofs has been excluded due to space.
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