Can God Forgive Sin Without Satisfaction? | John Owen

Deep Dive into A Dissertation on Divine Justice by John Owen - Crellius taken to task — His first mistake — God doth not punish sins as being endowed with supreme dominion — The first argument of Crellius — The answer — The translation of punishment upon Christ, in what view made by God — Whether the remission of sins, without a satisfaction made, could take place without injury to any one — To whom punishment belongs — Whether every one can resign his right — Right twofold — The right of debt, what; and what that of government — A natural and positive right — Positive right, what — A description also of natural right — Concessions of CrelliusJohn Owen critiques the arguments of John Crellius regarding divine justice and the punishment of sins. Crellius asserts that God possesses an absolute sovereign right to either inflict or withhold punishment for sin without violating His divine justice. According to Crellius, God operates as a supreme lord or creditor who can freely choose not to prosecute His right to punish, arguing that punishment is merely a debt owed to God that He can forgive without causing injury to anyone.Owen identifies this as a foundational error, arguing that God does not punish sin in His capacity as an absolute, supreme Lord, but rather as the righteous Ruler and Judge of the universe. While God exercises absolute freedom in acts of supreme dominion, the infliction of punishment belongs strictly to His role as a judge distributing impartial justice. Therefore, failing to punish sin would constitute an actual injury to God's own justice, which inherently demands the punishment of every transgression.Owen distinguishes between a simple right of debt and the right of government. While a purely indifferent debt can be freely forgiven, human sin is only metaphorically described as a debt. God possesses a natural, indispensable right of government over His rational creatures, meaning the demand for obedience and the resulting punishment for transgression cannot be derogated or waived. Even earthly magistrates cannot lawfully waive punishments if doing so harms the public good, as their right of government implies a strict duty to justice.Finally, Owen highlights contradictions in Crellius's own writings. Crellius concedes that God's holiness, majesty, and honor do not permit His commands to be violated with impunity, and that it is unworthy of God to leave obstinate sinners unpunished. Owen points out that without the redemption of Christ, all sinners would remain eternally obstinate, thus confirming that divine justice inherently necessitates the punishment of sin.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730