William Lane Craig Discusses the Atonement

William Lane Craig discusses his book Atonement and the Death of Christ: An Exegetical, Historical, and Philosophical Exploration (Baylor University Press, 2020). We discuss objections to the doctrine of penal substitution, why philosophers and theologians need to learn from each other, how ideas from the philosophy of law (such as "legal fictions") can elucidate our understanding of the atonement, and much more.

Truth Unites is a mixture of apologetics and theology, with an irenic focus. Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai.

My books:

[gilsonrocks]

You are a great interviewer! Respectful of the person you are interviewing, familiar with their work, etc. You are a model for how it should be done. Thank you!

[MrKappaKappaPsi]

Great video and break down. May the Lord Jesus bless you both amd your families.

[bobleroe]

I'll have to check out his book. A year ago I read Fleming Rutledge's book The Crucifixion which is currently my favorite book on the atonement.

[kurtgundy]

Gavin, why is Anselm your favorite theologian?

[kevingeorge]

The atonement is not like we were told! God is our heavenly Father, not our heavenly Bureaucrat! There is a long list of the biblical and logical problems with Penal Substitutional Atonement and many mistranslated texts that are used to support it. Look for the book, “Atonement and Reconciliation” for this in-depth examination.

[matthewbroderick]

Jesus Christ freely chose to lay down His life for all humanity, and this sacrifice of Love was pleasing to the Father!

[ClauGutierrezY]

15:42 Yes!
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
— John 15:13 ESV

[NoName-oytk]

I know an important subject so I know a verse cannot explain it all, but I think 1 Corinthians 1:23 "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;". Its a stumbling block to those who go about establishing their own righteousness and it's foolish to those who are sensitive to the brutality of the atonement. That something as awful as the death of an innocent man could possibly please God sounds crazy on the surface. I know people who reject anything that may have any attachment or relation to pagan stuff. This is why I think even holidays like Easter is heavily either defended or criticized and I think both sides are believers. Nobody can fathom how God can take on sinful flesh while at the same time scripture clearly shows God hating sin. However, I do think it is true that that God's righteousness and love should not outweigh either side. Both are true and it's important to be sure both are balanced. However, I do believe like it says in Romans 5:20 "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:". Christ did conquer death and the sin for all people. Justly addressing sin, but through an act of love that we did not deserve. That through our disobedience God still loved us. I know that people think that it's wrong to say God loved us even in disobedience. However, I would like to highlight that God loves us when we are being like him(loving and caring), but does something humans cannot which is love us even when we do not deserve it. Even in our most depraved state, because man cannot take away/forgive sin. Only God can do this.

[BBassistChrist]

"If God were indifferent to the victim, what kind of God would that be?"
That's where I'm sitting. So many times when giving the Torah, God tells the Israelites to be compassionate to the foreigner, "Remember you were aliens in Egypt." Even to His own people, God doesn't show partiality. So we need to be careful with how we treat people, "For their defender in heaven is great" (Proverbs 23:11). That is why "false balance[s] [are] an abomination" to God (Proverbs 11:1). This is why the whole of the Law and the Prophets hangs on the two commandments: "Love the Lord" and "Love your neighbor". If God isn't partial, then we ought to fear how we wrong our enemies, for God isn't going to side with us. God knows every victim and every oppressor, and He doesn't let any bias come between Him and His justice. So God's wrath is just, and is a comfort from our sufferings. But also terrifying, because who then is innocent? So then our only plea is, "Guilty, please have mercy."

[LedHead]

Jesus dying for our sins was planned before the foundation of the world. It was a mystery God held in his back pocket. Paul said if Satan knew what Christ was going to accomplish on the cross, he never would've had him put to death.

[paullaymon]

The penial satisfaction theory is one of the most bizarre atonement theories where you end up having one person of the trinity attacking the other person of the trinity. This theory also endorse Nestorianism by saying the Fathers wrath was only upon the Son’s “human nature”

[johnsonlawrence]

All these atonement theories, which different theologians created in different centuries and still writing and talking, are simply a waste of time. All these are built on the basic false assumption that the image of God in which we were created is lost due to Adam's sin and through procreation, carried forward to all people. Sexual relationship in which we are born is seen as a sinful act.

Jesus understood that we can know right and wrong and choose God and his ways in our freedom.
That is why the Sermon on the Mount and all its teachings are given. Jesus said children are sinless and belong to God.

Moreover, the whole Bible affirms that God has the power to forgive sin, and He is like a loving father waiting for us to repent, turn to God, and choose to live God's way. Whatever imperfections, God is there to forgive.

What did Jesus achieve through his death on the cross? The Bible itself offers different answers. So it is a mystery of God, and we cannot claim to know everything.
Some of the effective and good way to see is
1. The self-sacrificing love of God revealed on the cross. God's persuasive love calls us to choose God and the path Jesus taught. John 3:16.
2. God's identification with suffering humanity.

All the traditional theories are no longer meaningful. They are completely against our common sense.

[mariomene]

I wish WLC would emphasize Scriptural motifs more than philosophical ones--eg, he never once mentions Lev 16 where the sins are transferred onto the sacrifice, nor does he broach Lev 4 which teaches God CANNOT forgive until the atonement is made by the priest. I would assume he's read these things, so it is probably my frustration with people constantly fabricating their own bases (concepts or words or words' definitions), then sitting back satisfied that they have shoved the circle peg into the square hole, without the slightest concern for addressing all of the collateral (Scriptural, logical) damage their botched "theology", their eisegesis, has incurred.

I gave the video a thumbs-down, but I realized I shouldn't penalize you for his "sins". LOL