Epistle to Diognetus: Penal, Substitionary Atonement & Double Imputation

Epistle to Diognetus, Chapter IX: “He Himself took on Him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!”

(Mr. Andy Underhile): Church Fathers on Depravity

By Mr. Andy Underhile

Church Fathers on Depravity

If you’ve ever entertained the notion that the freedom of the will is something that has been monolithically believed by the Church, then perhaps the contents of this short post will help unburden you of that mistake.


 One does not need to study the Fathers very long to read their declarations on human sinfulness. Paul’s disciple and traveling companion, Clement of Rome, writes, “Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him.” (1) And again he says, “And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men…” (2) God must grant repentance, because fallen man is so lost he would never seek it on his own. God does not merely grant forgiveness, but the desire for repentance itself. Paul says, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do” (Phil. 2:13). And notice also that Clement affirms that our calling is made effectual by God’s will.
 

“They who are carnal cannot do spiritual things… unbelief (is incapable of) the deeds of faith.” (3) This is the pronouncement of Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp’s fellow disciple of the Apostle John. Those who are in the state of unbelief cannot repent and believe unless it be granted from above. Faith and repentance are spiritual acts. Those who are in the flesh cannot perform spiritual acts.

In the anonymous Epistle to Diognetus, we read, “having made it manifest that in ourselves we were unable to enter into the kingdom of God, we might through the power of God be made able…Having therefore convinced us in the former time that our nature was unable to attain to life.” (4) The author of this short work clearly affirms that it is only through the power of God that we can attain to life. This is nothing in our nature that can avail.

Irenaeus writes, “For the Lord taught us that no man is capable of knowing God, unless he be taught of God; that is, that God cannot be known without God.” (5) This refers to more than special revelation. Irenaeus means to say that a saving knowledge of God must begin on God’s part. We cannot begin the process.

Explaining how our corruption is such that we must be rendered spiritual by God Himself, Irenaeus attests, “But we do now receive a certain portion of His Spirit, tending towards perfection, and preparing us for incorruption, being little by little accustomed to receive and bear God… This earnest, therefore, thus dwelling in us, renders us spiritual even now.”(6)

 

The great Carthaginian theologian Tertullian quite aptly remarks, “To begin with the passage where He says that He is come to ‘to seek and to save that which is lost.’ What do you suppose that to be which is lost? Man, undoubtedly. The entire man, or only a part of him? The whole man, of course. In fact, since the transgression which caused man's ruin was committed quite as much by the instigation of the soul from concupiscence as by the action of the flesh from actual fruition, it has marked the entire man with the sentence of transgression, and has therefore made him deservedly amenable to perdition.”(7)
 

For the rest, see:

http://andycontramundum.blogspot.com/2010/04/church-fathers-on-depravity.html

Mr. Griesel: "Epistle to Diognetus" (2nd century)

Mr. Griesel's note from his blog which has worthwhile posts, but before we give you a clip from his post, we interject the following. Mr. Griesel's good work reminds us of what follows.

One is reminded of old Mr. (Canterbury) Laud who believed little of significance might be offered outside the 53,000 square miles of England (nearly the same in square mileage or nearly equal the size of the home state of North Carolina at about 52,000 square miles). Not ordained in the Church of England, too bad. French Huguenots, too bad. Dutch Calvinists, no thanks, they're not episcopally ordained, poor chaps. Swiss Churchmen, sorry. The fogs of the English Channel were Mr. Laud's southern border; not much good happened south of the Channel in this bigot's mind. Nothing any good up north in Scotland either with those Presbyterians, just the Scottish Episcopalians. His infamous visit to Scotland in 1637 and assertion, "We'll teach you some real theology now" didn't play well up north with the hardy Scotsmen. Anything "Calvinistic" was odious to him. As Mr. MacCulloch, a Tudor-Stuart scholar, reminds us, "Arminianism" was not the term of art for Mr. (Canterbury) Laud, but "Anti-Calvinist" was the term of art. Well, we bring a quote from a Dutch Calvinist from South Africa who does some consistently good work. Mr. Griesel is the name. Fortunately, we are reminded of one of our better men, that is, Mr. (Abp.) James Ussher's peaceable, charitable, appreciative, wise, generous and humble comment that he'd "be as comfortable taking the Lord's Supper in Dutch Calvinist Church in Holland or amongst French Huguenots as he would in his own church." In that spirit of Mr. Ussher, we point to a blog worth consulting regularly. Here's a post today from Mr. Griesel. It's from the "Letter to Diognetus," a 2nd century document. 

http://deovivendiperchristum.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/epistle-to-diognetus-2nd-century-on-the-christian-life-in-the-world-but-not-of-it/

“CHAPTER 5
For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in customs. For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their own, neither do they use some different language, nor practise an extraordinary kind of life. Nor again do they possess any invention discovered by any intelligence or study of ingenious men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some are. But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and barbarians as the lot of each is cast, and follow the native customs in dress and food and the other arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their own citizenship, which they set forth, is marvellous, and confessedly contradicts expectation. They dwell in their own countries, but only as sojourners; they bear their share in all things as citizens, and they endure all hardships as strangers. Every foreign country is a fatherland to them, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like all other men and they beget children; but they do not cast away their offspring. They have their meals in common, but not their wives. They find themselves in the flesh, and yet they live not after the flesh. Their existence is on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws, and they surpass the laws in their own lives. They love all men, and they are persecuted by all. They are ignored, and yet they are condemned. They are put to death, and yet they are endued with life. They are in beggary, and yet they make many rich. They are in want of all things, and yet they abound in all things. They are dishonoured, and yet they are glorified in their dishonour. They are evil spoken of, and yet they are vindicated. They are reviled, and they bless; they are insulted, and they respect. Doing good they are punished as evil-doers; being punished they rejoice, as if they were thereby quickened by life. War is waged against them as aliens by the Jews, and persecution is carried on against them by the Greeks, and yet those that hate them cannot tell the reason of their hostility.

For the rest, see:  http://deovivendiperchristum.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/epistle-to-diognetus-2nd-century-on-the-christian-life-in-the-world-but-not-of-it/