Wednesday 26 October 2011

Donald Macleod's Authentic Calvinism

In his excellent book, From Glory to Golgotha, Prof. Donald Macleod re-affrims that his views on the atonement are authentically Calvinistic, and not Owenite.  How he squares this with his subscription to the Westminister Confession of Faith (WCF) is a matter for another day.

But nothwithstanding his trenchant criticisms of Amyraldianism - which views he unashamedly adopts - Macleod's understanding differs nothing from that espoused by John Calvin.  If anyone reading this post can identify where Macleod's views depart from that of authentic Calvinism, as taught by John Calvin, Moise Amyraut, Jean Daille, Richard Baxter, Wm Twisse (first moderator of the Westminster Assembly), Edmund Calamy, John Davenant, John and Charles Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Joseph Bellamy, Philip Doddridge, Robert Murray McCheyne, John C Ryle, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, then I'd be very interested in finding out.  As for me, I can see no clear blue water between their views on the atonement.

Perhaps in his published criticisms of Amyraldianism, Macleod is simple doing what he knows best - stirring the theological pot in order to get a reaction.

Let me give three more quotes from Macleod (from the book referred to above).

"At immeasurable personal cost he made himself a propitiation for the sins of the whole world."  (p.125).

"...Christ's resurrection dominion extends over the whole world; and evangelism itself is the proclamation to every creature of the good news that Jesus Christ is his Lord and that he will have all men to be saved (1 Tim.2:4),"  (p.136).

"It is as the Lamb who bore the sin of the world that he now sits on the throne (Rev.5:6),"  (p.137).

Prof. Macleod might as well have been quoting directly from Calvin or Baxter or Lloyd-Jones when he penned these words.   How refreshing that a reformed theologian of his stature and renown confirms and agrees with authentic Calvinism as expounded by Calvin and his true interpretors, and not as taught by those who followed the theological trajectory set by Beza.

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