The Perfection and Finality of Christ's Atonement: A Reformed Perspective

This is now my third reflection on the third chapter of John Murray's book, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. In that chapter, he talks about The Perfection of Atonement. You can check my first two reflections below:

• The Necessity of Christ’s Atonement

• The Nature of the Atonement

John Murray begins the third chapter by outlining the Reformed perspective on Christ's perfection of the atonement, which differs from the beliefs of the Roman Catholics. According to the Catholics, satisfaction for past sins is achieved through the act of baptism. However, for sins committed after baptism, it is the individual's responsibility to make amends, either in this life or in purgatory.

On the contrary, Reformed theology brings sufficient answers when it asserts that Christ's atoning sacrifice was the ultimate satisfaction for all human inclinations toward sin—those committed and those yet to come. While it is so, Murray also acknowledges that due to the reality of sin, the “faithful” sometimes will be affected by sin and will pay the price of chastisement. But to say that such an experience is, in part of the larger satisfaction of Christ’s atonement is a whole lot different story. Christ's atonement is final and perfect; hence, believers must hold fast to this truth as their profession.

After this, Murray then discusses the features of the finished work of Christ:

Firstly, historic objectivity stresses the eternal and impartial character of Christ's atoning sacrifice, indicating that it was carried out once and for all, without any involvement or contribution from humanity. For Murray, the atonement is a finished product and predates its beneficiaries. It is argued that any attempt to weaken this fact in favor of moral interpretations or subjective effects undermines the central idea of the atonement. Therefore, historic objectivity affirms the finality and perfection of Christ's atoning work, which displays its objective existence apart from human agency.

Secondly, the finality of Christ's atoning work—a view that contrasts sharply with the Roman idea of Christ's repeated sacrifice. Murray notes that the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice on the cross is eternal since it is a one-time event that will never be repeated. This perspective disproves the notion that Christ was ever offered as a sacrifice "again" in any way since, in Murray's view, that conception would be sacrilegious. The atonement's finality underlines its unique character and eternality, it confirms that Christ's death completely appeases heavenly justice and ensures believers' eternal salvation.

Thirdly, uniqueness. In this section, Murray draws heavily from Horace Bushnell's exposition on the uniqueness of Christ's atoning work. Bushnell argues that no other good being, no matter how virtuous or sacrificial, can compare to Christ in bearing and enduring the sins of others. Christ's sacrificial act stands alone as the ultimate revelation of God's love and the supreme illustration of virtue.

Lastly, intrinsic efficacy refers to the inherent effectiveness of the power of Christ's atoning work, indicating that it fulfills all the requirements arising from sin, including the demands of the Holy God and the sanction of sin. Christ has accomplished everything; His work fully addresses every problem of sin; His work is entirely capable and lacks nothing.

In summary, in the third chapter of the book, John Murray contrasts the Reformed view of Christ's perfect and final atonement with Roman Catholic beliefs, emphasizing the historic objectivity, finality, uniqueness, and intrinsic efficacy of Christ's sacrificial work as the ultimate satisfaction for sin.

Reference:

Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955. Reprinted April 1980.

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