Grace Consistent with the Atonement (Ephesians 1:7) | Jonathan Edwards

Deep Dive into Grace Consistent with the Atonement (Ephesians 1:7) by Jonathan EdwardsIn "Grace Consistent with the Atonement," Jonathan Edwards addresses the theological difficulty of how a sinner's pardon can be an act of free grace if Christ has already made a complete atonement for their sins. Edwards first examines and rejects several common explanations for this dilemma. He disagrees with the idea that grace only exists in God providing Christ, while the pardon itself is merely an act of justice, arguing that Scripture explicitly describes pardon itself as an act of grace. He also rejects the notion that the atonement was a literal payment of a financial debt. If Christ had literally paid a debt, the release of the debtor would be an act of strict justice, not grace, regardless of who made the payment.To resolve the inconsistency, Edwards distinguishes between three types of justice: commutative, distributive, and general. Commutative justice deals with property and debts; since humanity did not literally rob God of property, this type of justice does not apply to the atonement. General or public justice relates to the moral goodness of the universe and God's glory. In this sense, pardoning believers is an act of justice because Christ's atonement makes it consistent with the general good, but this form of justice does not inherently negate grace.The true solution lies in distributive justice, which involves treating individuals according to their personal moral character and conduct. Grace is defined as treating someone more favorably than their personal character deserves. Because Christ's sufferings and obedience do not alter the sinner's own personal demerit, forgiving the sinner remains an act of pure, infinite grace. Therefore, the objection that complete atonement contradicts free grace completely vanishes once the false assumption of a literal debt payment is set aside.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