On Redemption
One of the more beautiful lines from John Wesley on redemption comes in his note on Colossians 1.14, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." When it comes to themes and pictures of the atonement, this line illustrates a nice mosaic, expressing an array of layers at work in Christ's redemption via his death and resurrection:
The voluntary passion of our Lord appeased the Father's wrath, obtained pardon and acceptance for us, and, consequently, dissolved the dominion and power which Satan had over us through our sins. So that forgiveness is the beginning of redemption, as the resurrection is the completion of it.
"So that forgiveness is the beginning of redemption, as the resurrection is the completion of it."
ReplyDeleteWow! This almost made me weep when I read it. Powerful words!
Nice array of layers, indeed. I wish some of our moderns would read this, and perhaps abandon the silly "either-or"-ness of the penal substitution/Christus Victor debate.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Matthew! What I especially like about this note of his is how he weaves the themes together and makes them work together in a single flow of thought. Thanks for the comments, gentlemen!
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