The Atonement

by Albert Barnes

THE difficulties which exist in regard to the Christian religion do not pertain so much to the system of morals which it inculcates, or to the kind of life which it requires, or to the character of its Author, or to the measures which he adopted for the propagation of his religion, or to the doctrine of the immortality of the soul which it discloses, and its description of the future state, as to the fact that men are to be saved by the sufferings of the Author of the system as a sacrifice for human guilt. The character of the Author of the system is admitted to have been perfect; the system of morals which he taught is conceded to have been of the purest character; the manner of life which he required in his followers, it is not denied, is such as is best adapted to secure the happiness of the individual and the progress of society; the general influence of his system of religion has been such undoubtedly as to promote the welfare of mankind; and the hopes which Christianity inspires are such as men must feel that it is desirable that they should cherish; but the grand difficulty in the system is, that it inculcates the idea that an atonement has been made through substituted suffering for human guilt, and that somehow the salvation of the soul is regarded as connected with the death of the Author of the system considered as a sacrifice or expiation for crime. What is meant by this sacrifice? To whom was it made? What ends does it accomplish in a system of religion? Why is not such a device found in human governments? How does it affect the divine character? And how does it make the pardon of sinners more proper than it would otherwise be? What was there to prevent the exercise of mercy on the part of God which has been removed by the atonement? How is pardon more consistent now that an atonement has been made than it otherwise would have been?

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Albert Barnes was an American theologian. He graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, in 1820, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1823.

Barnes was ordained as a Presbyterian minister by the presbytery of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, in 1825, and was the pastor successively of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey (1825–1830), and of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia (1830–1868).

Reviews

[Tyler Jarboe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top pick. One of the books I most wish the Reformed world would take seriously.

[Theology · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Atonement" by Albert Barnes is an excellent defense of the probability and necessity of the atonement.
With arguments, which are most of the time solid, Albert Barnes makes his case.
He often starts from general revelation (nature, conscience,...), from things even the skeptic agrees on and then goes on to give valid reasons which point to the atonement.

Although this book is a good apologetical work, there are a few downsides to it: 1. it is wordy and the author often repeats the same arguments. 2. The author argues that only Christ's human nature suffered on the cross, while His divine nature did not suffer. I believe that this borders on gnosticism and the Bible seems to imply that the whole Person of Jesus suffered and died on the cross.