Bart Ehrman claims that we cannot find substitutionary
atonement in the book of Luke. [1]
Ehrman seems to assume that all doctrines are in each book – can we say
this of the book of Ecclesiastes?
When Zacharias mouth was opened he spoke of the
redemption of God’s people (Lk 1:68).
Anna, “…spoke of Him [Jesus] to all those who looked for redemption in
Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38). Isaiah 44:22
states, “I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed
you.” Christ has paid the price for our
sin when he suffered on the cross in our place.
Redemption involves paying a price:
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the
multitude of their riches,
none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor
give to God a ransom for him for the redemption of their souls is
costly, and it shall cease forever - that he should continue to live
eternally, And not see the Pit (Ps 49:6-9).
If your rich uncle pays your mortgage payment next month,
you don’t have to. Zacharias went on to
say about John the Baptist’s ministry of preparation, “To give knowledge of salvation
to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy
of our God …” (Lk 1:76, 78). Salvation
is by God’s mercy – we don’t work for it.
This is clearly shown by the scapegoat:
Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for
the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. … But the goat on which
the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to
make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the
wilderness. … Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat,
confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all
their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the
head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of
a suitable man. The goat shall bear
on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release
the goat in the wilderness (Lev 16:8,10,21,22).
Atonement involves a substitute who bears our sins
– the Lord Jesus Christ!
When Simeon held the baby Jesus in his arms he said, “With
my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation” (Lk 2:30). That is, Jesus IS salvation, not the one who
points the way to enlightenment. Jesus
died on cross – Christ himself in his own person took the penalty for
our hateful deeds. Jesus is Lord (Lk
2:11), so he is perfect and thus did not die for his own sins – he must have
died for the sins of others.
Luke quotes Isaiah 40:3-5 in Lk. 3:4-6 and in the same
context we read:
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her
hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for … Say to
the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" (Is. 40:2,9).
Jesus, the God-Man, paid for our sin on Good Friday. He was our Sinless Substitute. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father spoke, “You are
My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased" (Lk 3:22). This is again an indication of Christ’s
perfection – he did not die for his own sin, but that of those he loved (cf. Lk
22:41,47). Christ, by forgiving sins, demonstrated that he is divine
(Lk 5:20-24, 7:48). Since Jesus is God,
he did no evil, so there is no reason that he should die unless he took the
penalty that others deserved (Lk 24:52).
Luke 7:22 refers to Isaiah 35:5,6 and in the same context
we read:
… but the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed
of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting
joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and
sighing shall flee away (Is. 35:9,10).
Redemption involves paying a price. Jesus paid the penalty for sin and so we can
have eternal life with him in heaven.
Luke 8:10 quotes Isaiah 6:9 and in this passage the angel
says to the prophet, “… Gone your guilt, your sins wiped out” (Is. 6:7
Msg). God is just and he must punish sin
(Pr 11:21, Nahum 1:3). So how can Isaiah
get his sins wiped out? He was looking
for the coming Messiah who would suffer in his place for his unclean lips and
other wrongs.
Christ predicted his death and resurrection – another
proof of his deity. Christ is divine and
so did not die for his own sins (Lk 9:22; 18:18,19,32,33; 20:14,15).
The donkey in the Triumphal Entry was prophesied in
Zechariah (Lk 19:30, Zech. 9:9). In the
same context we find:
… He [Christ] shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the
earth.’ As for you also, Because of the blood
of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit
(Zech. 9:10,11).
How can we gain peace with God? Only through the blood of the New Covenant
shed by Jesus on the cross for us.
On the road to Emmaus what Old Testament examples did
Christ explain (Lk 24:25-27, cf. Lk 24:44)?
Surely Genesis 3:15, where we are told that the Messiah’s head will be
wounded – this occurred at the cross.
Apparently an animal had to die to clothe Adam and Eve (Ge 3:21) – a substitute
suffered to cover their shame! Certainly
Jesus expounded Isaiah 53 which clearly teaches substitutionary atonement (vv.
4-6).
In Luke 24:46,47, the cross and forgiveness are
connected. Only through the vicarious
death of Christ is forgiveness possible.
Mike Horton has written a helpful article on the atonement.
Part 1 of this series on Bart Ehrman responded to his low view of the reliability of the New Testament.
Note:
1) Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman
(HarperCollins, NYC, 2005), pp. 166,7.
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