THE CAUSE OF AND THE NECESSITY FOR THE ATONEMENT
Grudem points to the character of God as the driving cause of the atonement. He argues that God’s perfect love to others (John 3:16), and His perfect justice and righteousness (Rom. 3:25) were the causes of the offering of the atonement to mankind. It is consistent with all of Scripture that salvation’s initiative comes from God (Jonah 2:9, John 3:21).

This voluntary initiative from God shows a limitless love for us, in that rather than accepting the rightful outcome of the death of the entire human race, God gave us grace. Demarest adds “Grace has to do with God in His sovereign goodness entering human history and showering sinful creatures with undeserved favor……indeed without grace, life itself would not exist” (Page 49). This is particularly noteworthy in that God had no need to save any of us, and in fact has chosen not to save any angels who have sinned (2 Peter 2:4).

Having committed to this plan of redemption in eternity past, God’s character of perfect truth requires Him to follow through and execute the plan of salvation. As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane He asked if the cup could pass (Matt 26:39) but God’s will was that He had to die. Christ confirms this on the road to Emmaus :

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26).

In fact, God’s entire OT revelation pointed to the suffering servant messiah who would have to die for us. So the Cross of Christ was rooted in the very character and nature of God. Having created us as beings who could not match His perfection, He took the initiative to restore the relationship with us by offering a plan of salvation which we could not devise or execute, but one that would require His unmerited grace towards us, a perfect payment for our sins, a timeless effectiveness, and an execution unique to God.

What is the solution that God devised? What are the roles of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and man? In the balance of the paper we will explore the design of the atonement, the role of God, and the role of man, as well as the timelessness and the uniqueness of the solution that God has offered. God’s perfection and brilliance will be evident in this exposition, but first, let me outline one final thought on the necessity of the atonement, and an insight into the heart of God.

The wonder of what God has done cannot be fully fathomed without considering God’s perfect sovereignty. He enjoyed the perfect fellowship of the Trinity for all of eternity. He did not need to create. He chose to do so out of the counsel of His perfect character and authority. He did not need to be so patient with each of us. He did not need to save us. But the heart of God is overflowing with love towards us. He has so much love for us, that of His own will and in His perfection, He has made His future glory and joy totally linked to our salvation.

This outrageous love of God is beautifully expressed by J.I. Packer:

“through setting his love on human beings, God has voluntarily bound up His own final happiness with theirs. It is not for nothing that the Bible habitually speaks of God as the loving Father and Husband of His people. It follows from the very nature of these relationships that God’s happiness will not be complete till all His beloved ones are finally out of trouble. .…God was happy without humans before they were made; He would have continued happy had He simply destroyed them after thay had sinned; but, as it is He has set His love upon particular sinners, and this means that, by His own free voluntary choice, He will not know perfect and unmixed happiness again till He has brought every one of them to heaven. He has in effect resolved that henceforth, for all eternity, His happiness shall be conditional upon ours…..Thus God saves, not only for His glory, but also for His gladness. This goes far to explain why it is that there is joy (God’s own joy) in the presence of angels when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10), and why there will be ‘exceeding joy’ on the last day when God sets us faultless at the last day in His own Holy presence (Jude  KJV). The thought passes understanding and almost beggars belief, but there is no doubt that, according to Scripture, such is the love of God.” (Knowing God page 125).