Infinite Justice and Infinite Mercy at the Cross | John Owen

Deep Dive into A Dissertation on Divine Justice by John Owen - The arguments of Socinus against punitory justice weighed — A false hypothesis of his — Sins, in what sense they are debts — The first argument of Socinus, in which he takes for granted what ought to have been proved — A trifling supposition substituted for a proof — Whether that excellence by virtue of which God punishes sins be called justice in the Scriptures — The severity of God, what — Our opponent’s second argument — It labours under the same defi- ciency as the first — It is not opposite to mercy to punish the guilty — The mercy of God, what — There is a distinction between acts and habits — Our opponent confounds them — The mercy of God infinite, so also his justice — A distinction of the divine attributes — In pardoning sins through Jesus Christ, God hath exercised infinite justice and infinite mercy — The conclu- sion of the contest with Socinus.John Owen's dissertation defends the necessity of divine justice against the theological arguments of Socinus, who claims that God can forgive human sins without requiring any real satisfaction or punishment. Socinus compares God to a supreme creditor who possesses the ultimate right to freely forgive debts out of liberality and goodness. To support this, Socinus argues that divine justice is not an inherent or natural attribute of God, but rather a mere effect of His free will, meaning God has no absolute obligation to satisfy justice.Furthermore, Socinus contends that if justice were naturally resident in God, He would never be able to pardon any sin, asserting that punishing and pardoning are entirely opposite actions. He maintains that justice and mercy are limited effects of the divine will that cannot perfectly consist with one another. Because God sometimes shows mercy and sometimes exercises severity, Socinus concludes that neither attribute is infinite, and therefore, the doctrine of Christ making satisfaction for sins is merely a human fiction.Owen vehemently refutes these assertions, arguing that God's justice is an essential, natural attribute, and therefore He cannot leave sin unpunished without violating His own holy nature. Owen explains that Socinus relies on false reasonings and improperly confounds divine habits with external acts and effects. Crucially, Owen demonstrates that God's justice and mercy are not opposed to each other. Instead, God exercises both infinite justice and supreme mercy simultaneously through Jesus Christ. By exacting the just punishment for sin upon Christ as a surety, God fully satisfies His natural justice while extending complete mercy to forgive repentant sinners. Owen ultimately dismisses Socinus's position as an absurd error that attacks the greatest treasure of the gospel.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