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UNDERSTANDINGTHEATONEMENT

2nd Edition — April 2011The material for this book was originally prepared for the Richmond-Petersburg, VAecclesial Study Weekend held in March 2011.Full version of the book is available for FREE download at:www.UnderstandingTheAtonement.comThis book may be used or reproduced for personal use except that it may not be reproduced for commercial gain or profit. For more information please contact:Select Media, PO Box 5, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5W 1A2.Available to purchase at::www.SelectMedia.ca/Books orwww.UnderstandingTheAtonement.comPrinted by 48 Hours Printing, Akron OH.First paperback edition published in 2011.Reader’s Notes:All scriptural quotations are taken from the King James Version, unless otherwisespecified.KJV— King James VersionNKJV— New King James VersionNIV— New International VersionNLT— New Living TranslationRV— Revised VersionRSV— Revised Standard Version[ ] — Denote author’s commentsBold Italic Underline — Used in quoted passages for emphasis

“What I like about ‘Understanding The Atonement’ is that it’sBiblical; it’s readable; it’s easy to follow; it’s logical; it’s understandable; it’s practical; and it makes sense ” Richard Morgan (Ontario, Canada) “I found “Understanding the Atonement” to be the clearestand simplest contemporary exposition of the doctrine that Ihave read, as well as an excellent expose’ of the incorrecttheories that have troubled the Brotherhood since the1870s. I recommend it to anyone who genuinely desires tosee through the mists of language and thought that haveclouded this most wonderful of all themes in Scripture for fartoo long.” Jim Cowie (Queensland, Australia) “‘Understanding the Atonement’ is a concise and Biblicaltreatment of the subject. It helps the reader understand thelanguage used in atonement discussions as well as the extreme teachings that have come about over the years. Thismakes it beneficial both as a onetime read or for use as a reference.” David King (Virginia, USA) “I found ‘Understanding The Atonement’ an excellent studyof the subject. It was very plain and clear, well laid out andbrought out points that many will not know. I would that allChristadelphians would have the opportunity to read it.” Robert J. Lloyd (California, USA)

“It is refreshing to hear the gospel articulated clearly, and yetwith sufficient scriptural and historical detail, as it relates tothis so very important subject ” Ted Hodge Jnr. (Ontario, Canada) “I have read five works on this crucial subject in the last couple of months. I feel especially privileged to have had thisopportunity to read, and re-read, this considerable contribution to ‘Understanding the Atonement’.” Richard Purkis (Bournemouth, UK) “An excellent uncompromising crystallization of God's righteousness as exemplified in His eternal principles of theatonement or ‘reconciliation’ through the work of the LordJesus Christ. A wonderful read for young and old by way ofreinforcement, clarification and explanation.” Ron and Debbie McPhee (Virginia, USA) “‘Understanding the Atonement’ is a very thorough work,which avoids most of the clichés and makes for easy readingfor those who really want to get a grasp of the subject. It iswell researched and very fair. Scripture is made the court ofappeal and that is how it should be. It will be a useful addition to our literature.” Des Manser (South Australia)

CTION: DOES ITREALLY MATTER?THE FIRST T HREE KEYS Key Number OneKey Number TwoKey Number ThreePART 1:1113161719UNDERSTANDING THE DOCTRINE .211.The Purpose of God232.The Nature of Man26The Garden of DelightThe eternal purposeThe inventor of a lieThe state of unbeliefUngodly desiresThe vocabulary of disobedienceThe law of sin and deathThe battle of the mind2728293132333536The Nature of Christ39It is God who savesCoats of skinBorn of our nature414345The Work of God47God was in ChristOur perfect exampleWhat is sacrifice?The perfect sacrificeCertain facts and truthsThe captain of our salvationThe significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ484950515456583.4.

5.PART 2:1.2.Our Hope in Christ63Baptized into ChristThe conditions of forgivenessThe significance of the bread and wineThe price of redemptionA brief review6568707375UNDERSTANDING THE EXTREMES . .79The First Extreme “Clean-Flesh”81Early challengesWhere did Bro. Turney go wrongChanges to the Statement of Faith828587The Second Extreme “Andrewism”88The tip of the icebergThe debateFurther changes to the Statement of FaithThe teachings of Thomas WilliamsA new Statement of FaithChallenging the TruthPART 3:1.9398105109115119UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES .127What is ‘Sin’?129‘Sin’ in the New TestamentTwo principle acceptations133137A Sacrifice For Sin141The condemnation of sinMade sin for us1421463.How Did Christ Benefit?1474.Types and Shadows151The Order of MelchizedecA coveringAtonement in the Old TestamentCleansingIn conclusion152155157159162False Conclusions1642.5.

PART 4:1.2.UNDERSTANDING IN PRACTICE .171Sin is RealSin becomes usDivine educationThe Four Stages of Competence174175177173Releasing The Angel Inside181(An Exhortation)3.1. The commission2. Visualisation3. Preparation4. Commitment5. Fighting the Goliath6. Hands, feet and head7. Different tools8. Practice9. The beauty is in the detail10. Sand and polish182183185186187188190191192193Unity of The Faith195One BodyOne SpiritOne HopeOne LordOne FaithOne BaptismOne God and Father of allWalking in the lightFellowship responsibilitiesCommon UnionTrue Unity197197198198198199200201202204205KEYS T O UNDERSTANDING THE ATONEMENT209APPENDIX A213APPENDIX B215

AcknowledgementsThere are many brothers and sisters who have been instrumental over the years in helping make these studies become a reality. I especially wish to thank all those brethren who are my own teachers, many of whom spentmany hours with me, either in person or on the telephone, patientlyexplaining (and often re-explaining!) the differences betweenTruth and error regarding this most important subject of “JesusChrist and him crucified.” We are also grateful, to those brethrenwho have laboured so hard in the Word over the years, preparingtalks, producing articles and writing books on this subject. Theirwork is a great source of knowledge and understanding, and remain a valuable heritage for the brotherhood.I also wish to thank all those who have laboured diligentlybehind the scenes to help prepare this material for print. I especially wish to thank those who have taken the time to review it forits historical and doctrinal accuracy, and ensure that the materialpresented is a true and faithful representation of God’s Word. Ialso wish to thank those who have given so generously of theirtime to check general readability, grammar and spelling.Finally, I wish to thank those who know me best (they knowwho they are) for your support and friendship, and especially foryour kind words of encouragement that have helped me to keep thecourse. Most especially, to Sister Carla for her patience and understanding while these studies and notes were being prepared.

ForewordIn his opening words, Brother Matthew says, “There is nosubject in the Bible of greater importance or more vital toour salvation than the subject of “Jesus Christ and him crucified”, more commonly referred to within Christadelphian circles as the doctrine of the ‘Atonement.’” He then proceeds to openup the scriptures to explain, in easy to understand language, howbeautiful the doctrine of the Atonement is in its simplicity, andhow profound it is in its implications. He then uses three keys tohelp unlock the true teaching of Scripture on this most importantsubject of the ‘Atonement’.‘Understanding The Atonement’ is an excellent study of thesubject. It is very plain and clear, well laid out and brings outpoints that many will not know. I would that all Christadelphianswould have the opportunity to read it. This is a book that everyChristadelphian home should have on their book shelf, or evenmore importantly, have on their coffee table. It is written in a wayto help us understand the problems that have arisen over the yearswith false teachings, and help us see how important it is for us totruly understand the doctrine of the Atonement.He has successfully fulfilled his goal in helping us to understand the doctrine, understand the extremes, understand the differences, and, finally, how to put into practice what we have learned.The book is well researched, and it is presented to us in sucha way that it will help each of us to ‘know the truth so that the truthwill truly make us free’ (cp. John 8:32).— Robert J. Lloyd

PrefaceWhen I first arrived in North America, coincidently, Ifound myself living down the street from a Christadelphian ecclesial hall. On the Sunday morning Iarrived at the hall and introduced myself as aChristadelphian. To my surprise I was told that I did not belong totheir fellowship and would not be welcome to share the memorialsthat morning. As the emblems were passed by me, I resolved totake the time to understand why different Christadelphian fellowships existed and what the dividing issues were between them.During the week, I managed to track down the local‘Central’ Christadelphian ecclesia. For the next two or three years Isearched out experienced teachers to help me understand the reasons for the separation between different fellowships. What I discovered was that the ‘Central’ Christadelphian fellowship wasquite distinct in its understanding of the One Faith as expressed inthe BASF, particularly with respect to those clauses that addressthe subject of the nature and sacrifice of Christ.It did not take long to see that there were differences in beliefs between some fellowships. But because of the complexities inlanguage used in Atonement discussions, it took many more yearsto crystallize and simplify those differences, so that they could bepresented in such a way that they could be easily understood.These notes are the direct result of my own personal journeyto bring clarity to those things that I learned in my youth. We hopethat they will provide the same clarity to others, especially those ofa new generation, as we consider together this most wonderful andvital subject of “Jesus Christ and him crucified”

Introduction‘Does it really matter?’In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the one talent manburied his talent in a napkin and didn't produce anythingpositive in his life. The problem with this man wasn't that hewas lazy; rather, it was that he had a restrictive and fearbased religion due to his false perception of the doctrine of God.He thought of God as a hard taskmaster and this prevented himfrom using the talents given to him. Doctrine drives behaviour.How we think about things and understand things affects how wetreat others. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells another parable about a manwho lost his vision of the return of his master and began to beat hisfellow-servants.When it comes to ‘Jesus Christ and him crucified’, it is amatter of life and death. Literally. Connected with the sacrifice ofour Lord are exhortations regarding the very practical nature of ourwalk in Christ; the need to mortify the deeds of the flesh, the needto take up our cross and follow Christ, the need to walk in newnessof life having buried the old man in baptism. These things are atthe very centre of our religion, so if we misunderstand the reasonwhy Christ died and how it should affect us, it can make a profound difference on what our religion consists of. History attests tothis fact. Misunderstanding the nature and sacrifice of Christ ledthe Catholic Church, for instance, into the realm of ascetic monksbasing their religion on self-flagellation, thinking that the physicalflesh itself was in need of chastening.