Redemption Redeemed: A Puritan Defense of Unlimited Atonement

by John D. Wagner, John Goodwin, John Goodwin

Book Overview

John Goodwin (1593-1665), the eminent Puritan Arminian divine, was a man ahead of his time who lived in a turbulent era in which many principals, both theological and governmental, were subjects of controversy. This new edition of Redemption Redeemed (originally published in 1651), provides a major refutation of the Calvinistic limited atonement doctrine. Goodwin has written an adversarial treatise in which he, step by step, examines the overwhelming...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592447309
• ISBN13: 9781592447305
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Puritan Defense of God's Love & Grace

It should be obvious to any objective student of the Word that the Calvinist doctrine commonly known as Limited Atonement did not come about through an inductive exegesis of the Scriptures, but instead through a rigid system of deductive logic imposed upon it. Although I have read and reviewed other books on this vitally important subject, I appreciated the fact that Puritan John Goodwin treats some passages not usually considered in some of the more modern works, and that he comes at it as a contemporary of the scholastic John Owen. Overall, it becomes blatantly and wonderfully obvious that God has indeed woven the doctrine of General Redemption throughout all of His Word! In spite of the sometimes-heavy Puritan style of writing, I have to give this work a high rating for the following reasons: As with all points of the Calvinist T.U.L.I.P., we find, and Goodwin reveals, that their "horrible decree" of Reprobation is always lurking in the shadows. Since, in their logic, God has in eternity past "decreed" that the vast majority of the human race were to be created by Him as already damned, and that that even "pleased" Him, why should Christ pay the ransom for their sins? This scholastic presupposition inexorably drags them to this end in spite of any normative interpretation of the many verses of Scripture involved. This error has forced Calvinism to become more philosophic and systematic than the Bible allows. In fact, Owen's notorious work "The Death of Death" is shown to be based on a faulty premise of "double payment". Evangelism 101 Most importantly, and thus the importance of works like Goodwin's, is the sad and practical result of this doctrine: Limited Atonement deadens hearts to the fact of God's love manifest throughout the Scriptures to all sinners without exception. As Goodwin so aptly points out, "In all these Scriptures, with their fellows, evident it is that salvation is held forth and promised by God unto all, without exception, that shall believe; yea, that it is offered and promised unto all men, upon the condition of believing, whether they believe or no. So that, upon such declarations of the gracious and good pleasure of God toward the universality of men as these, the minister of the gospel, or any other men, may with truth, and ought of duty upon occasion, say to every particular soul of man under heaven, "If thou believest thou shalt be saved," even as Paul saith that he preached Christ, "warning EVERY man, and teaching EVERY man in all wisdom, that we might present EVERY man perfect in Christ Jesus" Colos. i.28. Yea, this apostle, saith, that God "now commandeth all men every where to repent, " Acts xvii. 30". Goodwin's quote of Melanchthon puts it this way, "It is necessary to know that the gospel is a universal promise, i.e. that reconciliation" with God "is offered and promised to all men." And " it is necessary to hold fast against" any "dangerous conceits about predestination, lest we fall to reason thus, that

A Powerful Defense of a Doctrine That Shouldn't Need Defending

We are living in strange times. As editor John Wagner rightly notes: "Calvinism with its disturbing implications is making a comeback". One of these disturbing implications is that the atonement of Jesus Christ was made only for a few who were unconditionally elected by an irrevocable eternal decree. Such a concept not only mocks the love of God in Christ for all of mankind, but stands in opposition to numerous passages of Scripture which unashamedly declare that Christ died provisionally for all of His fallen creatures. Many today are being convinced that these universal passages should be interpreted in very awkward ways in order to limit the atonement of Christ to a comparably small percentage of humanity. Many modern day Calvinists have relied on and reintroduced the arguments of puritan writer John Owen who championed the limited atonement view in his day. Sadly, few are familiar with puritan John Goodwin who was a contemporary of Owen and skillfully wrote against his limited view of the atonement in this excellent work: Redemption Redeemed. Goodwin excelled at demonstrating that the obvious meaning of the universal passages [that Christ died for all without exception] is the correct one. He examines all the relevant passages and reduces the Calvinistic interpretations to absurdity. He tackles every conceivable objection to universal atonement and even objections that few people would think to raise. He not only demonstrates that the Scriptures are not in harmony with a limited atonement view, but also that such a view is theologically absurd. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has been troubled by the teachings of limited atonement. Goodwin's puritan writing style makes for a challenging read but the patient reader will be rewarded with a powerful defense of a doctrine which shouldn't need to be defended. Unfortunately, such is not the case today and for this reason we are all indebted to John Wagner for making this excellent book so readily available. If you are an Arminian you will rejoice in Goodwin's strong defense of this important doctrine. If you are a Calvinist you cannot fairly criticize the Arminian position without first tackling the arguments set forth in this fine work. If you are a fan of John Owen, then you owe it to yourself to hear the other side of the story from a puritan writer of equal [if not superior] intellectual and exegetical prowess. No one who is interested in the Arminian and Calvinist controversy should be without this important work.

Arguably the best defense of Arminianism ever written

Redemption Redeemed stands as arguably the best defense of Arminianism ever written. The primary drawback of his polemic is its redundant writing style in the Old English, though hidden behind its many run-on sentences, is tremendous biblical exegesis, and for that, we are indebted to editor, John Wagner, for bringing the wisdom of John Goodwin to our generation. Although Goodwin's testimony, in many respects, mirrors that of Jacob Arminius, he takes a much more dogmatic stance on his belief of Conditional Security, clearly establishing himself as a 5-Point Arminian. (pp.119, 1445-146) Goodwin hammers home the universal scope of the atonement, while also discussing Election, Foreknowledge and the Antecedent & Consequent Will of God. Goodwin begins with a detailed treatment on John 3:16 (pp.20-35, 65), refuting the Calvinist proposal of an "elect world" while also considering the full ramifications of "whosoever." Whereas he also explores 1st Timothy 2:4 (p.52), 2nd Peter 3:9 (pp.59-60, 146-154), Matthew 23:37 (p.159), Romans 5:15-19 (p.65-71), 2nd Cor. 5:14-15 (pp.53-57), Titus 3:4 (pp.134-135), he counts the parable of the Marriage Feast of Matthew chapter 22 as his strongest argument for a universal atonement. (pp.128-131) Concerning the parable of the Marriage Feast, Goodwin writes: "We shall not need, I suppose, to transcribe the whole protasis of the parable, which is very large: but only insist upon some few known passages of it, such as I conceive will jointly, if not severally, give a light of demonstration to the truth of that doctrine, the proof and confirmation whereof is the prize contended for in this discourse." (Redemption Redeemed, p.128) Although Goodwin does not discuss Romans chapter 9, nor Acts 13:48, he does give an excellent discussion on Election, from the perspective of Ephesians 1:4, exploring what it means to be chosen "in Christ" from "before the foundation of the world." (pp.207-211) Goodwin also discusses John 6:37 John 17:2, exploring who was "given" and why (pp.78-80). I close with this excerpt from John Goodwin: "Again, neither can God, nor any minister of the gospel, say with truth to every particular man, if thou believest thou shalt be saved, unless it be supposed that there is salvation purchased or in being for them all." (Redemption Redeemed, p.74)

He Died for All

Redemption Redeemed is a Puritan alternative on the subject of the atonement. It is a barely known work while John Owen's, "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ", continues to be widely read- a magnum opus asserting limited atonement. John Goodwin, one of Owen's contemporaries, offers a different view. In this little known work, he examines the doctrine of limited atonement and reveals that many problems are associated with it. Goodwin presents a simple yet remarkable case in defense of what should be an obvious biblical teaching- that Christ died for all men. In answer to those who would press that Christ's death was "sufficient for all but not intended for all" Goodwin poses the question, how can anything be sufficient for someone if it is not intended for them? A great portion of the book deals with different sets of Scriptures: First, those relating Christ's sacrifice unto the world, like John 3:16; John 6:51; 1John 2:2 and 2Cor. 5:19 to name a few. Second, those speaking of His ransom for all or every man, like 1Tim.2:6,4; 2Cor.5:14,15; Heb.2:9 and etc. Third, those pertaining to "whosoever" and "all" who believe, a kind of continuation of the former, and Fourth, places stating that Christ died for those who may and actually do perish, like Rom.14:15; 1Cor.8:11; and 2Peter 2:1; among others. What is remarkable is that Goodwin works meticulously to defend the idea that all these Scriptures (and many others) actually mean what they say! Some who hold to limited atonement work very hard to tell us that "all" doesn't really mean all, and that the "world" doesn't really mean the world. Goodwin grants that there are places in Scripture which use these terms differently from their obvious meanings, but that they are always clear from the context and make perfect sense. When the above Scriptures are forced into such 'otherwise' interpretations, they make little sense and seem to miss the point of their context. It is as if Goodwin is cleaning up a huge mess, as he states why their interpretations cannot possibly fit the context of the relative passages. He shows support with other biblical evidence, and uses the commentaries of others (including Calvin himself) to show consensus for the plain meanings of the passages he is defending. In fact, Calvin is quoted very frequently for support, which does not mean that he didn't hold the theology that he is known for, but that he was inconsistent in several places. After a vast survey of Scriptures is completed, Goodwin turns to arguments based on reason. He argues that the nature of a covenant clearly designates those who it applies to. If Christ did not die for all, then there are only a select group of 'elect' and these are not always easily identified. At times the elect themselves have been known to express their own uncertainty of their standing. By contrast, the Lord's covenants are always clear as to who is involved. In

Puritan Arminian Theologian Examines The Atonement

John Goodwin is one of the few Puritans that actually ascribe to Arminism and produced theological works backing his position. Obviously Goodwin was in the minority in the Puritan tradition as most Puritans were raised, taught, and believe in what they defined as "pure Christianity" or Calvinism. Goodwin, much like Jacob Arminius and John Wesley, broke with tradition and actually opposed the majority of theologians, books, and Puritan pulpits in his day.This book examines the bibilical case for unlimited atonement. Goodwin believed that the atonement of Jesus Christ was for all of humainity and not simply for the elect. In this masterful work, Goodwin sets out to prove his position and does so in the spirit of Puritanism. He is clear, consise, and fills the pages of this book with Scripture. He appeals to God's Word as the final authority for faith and practice and in the end he presents a strong case for unlimited atonement. His work should line up well with Puritan John Owens classic work, THE DEATH OF DEATH IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST (published by Banner of Trust).