THE KING’S BUSINESS
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o f any other martyr was unforeseen and unexpected. To this we reply: Jesus was conscious all the time o f His forthcoming death. He foretold it again and again. He was always conscious o f the plots against His life. This truth is corroborated by the following scriptures: Matthew 16:21; Mark 9 :30-32; Matthew 20:17-19; Luke 18:31-34; Matthew 20:28 ; 26 :2, 6, 24, 39-42; Luke 22:19, 20. Further, in John 10:17, 18 we have words which distinctly contradict this false the ory: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down o f myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received o f my Father.” In addition to this we may make mention o f the many, many references and prophe cies o f the Old Testament to the fact o f Christ’s death. Then there is Christ’s own testimony to the fact o f His death being predicted and foretold by the prophets (Luke 24:26, 27, 44; cf. Isaiah S3; Psalm 22:69). Second. The martyr theory, which is as follow s: Christ’s death was similar in kind to that o f John Huss, or Polycarp, or any other noble man who has given up his life as a sacrifice for a principle and for truth. To this we reply: Then Christ should have so declared Himself. Paul should have said so. That word was used for other Christian deaths, why not for Christs? Then there is no mystery about the atonement, and the wonder is that Paul should have said anything about the mys tery. Further, if Christ- died as a martyr He might, at least, have had the same com forting presence o f God afforded other martyrs in the hour off their death. Why should He be God-forsaken in that crucial hour? Is it right that God should make the holiest man in-all the ages the greatest sufferer, if that man were but a martyr? When you recall the shrinking o f Geth- semane, could you really—and we say it
there is certainly no doubt. To some minds today the death o f Jesus Christ was but the death o f a martyr, counted in the same category as the death o f John Huss or Savonarola. Or perchance Christ’s death was an exhibition to a sinful world o f God’s wondrous love. Or it may be that Christ, in His suffering o f death, remains forever the sublime example o f adherence to prin ciples o f righteousness and truth, even to the point o f death. Or, again, Calvary may be an episode in God’ s government o f the world. God, being holy, deemed it neces sary to show to the world His hatred o f sin, and-so His wrath fell on Christ. The mod.ern mind does not consider Christ’s death as in any sense vicarious, or substi tutionary. Indeed, it fails to see the jus tice as well as the need or possibility o f one man, and He so innocent, suffering for the sins o f the whole race—past, present, and future. Every man must bear the penalty o f his own sin, so we are told ; from that there is no escape, unless, and it is fer vently hoped and confidently expected, that God, whose wondrous love surpasses all human conception, should, as He doubtless will, overlook the eternal consequences of man’s sin because o f the great love where with He loves the race. The love o f God is the hope o f the race’s redemption. What shall the Christian church say to these things, and what shall be her reply? ‘ To the W ord o f God must the church resort for her weapons in this warfare. If the so-called modern mind and its doctrinal views agree with the Scriptures, then the Christian church may allow herself to be influenced by the spirit o f the age. But if the modern mind and the Scriptures do not agree in their results, then the church o f Christ must part company with the mod ern mind. Here are some o f the modern theories o f the atonement: First. The accident theory. Briefly stated, this is the theory: The cross was something unforeseen in the life o f Christ. Calvary was not in the plan o f God for His Son. Christ’s death wds an accident, as unforeseen and unexpected as the death
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