15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
John Goodwin: A Puritian Rejection of Particular Redemption, December 8, 2007
This review is from: Redemption Redeemed: A Puritan Defense of Unlimited Atonement, Expanded Edition (Paperback)
Educated at Queen's College, Cambridge, John Goodwin (1593-1665) served successively as rector of East Rainham, Norfolk (1625-1633) and vicar of Saint Stephen's, London (1633-1645). Goodwin was a prolific writer and stirred more than his share of controversies in his day. In a work entitled, Bone for a Bishop, he argued against the divine right of Kings, a dissent of which he could have been hanged. Yet Goodwin tirelessly advocated many radical causes including the army's purge of Parliament (1648) and the execution of Charles I in 1649. He firmly defended religious dissent and blasted the state's right to execute heretics perhaps, in his case particularly, out of vivid self preservation. Clearly a champion of religious freedom, Baptists owe to this figure one fat sum.
A contemporary of John Owen (1616-1683), the Puritan defender of everything Dort, Goodwin dared take Westminster Assembly to the woodshed. Notably, though Goodwin was a premier scholar second to none in his day--including the mighty Owen--the House of Commons refused him a seat at the Assembly of Divines. A failed seat would not hinder his message however.
He defended the minority view contra Dort in his Theomachia (1644). His magnum opus, however, must be his work entitled Redemption Redeemed (1651), a devastating critique of Classic Calvinism's Limited Atonement and the positive affirmation of Universal Reconciliation in Christ.
John Wagner, a Master's student at Trinity Theological Seminary, serves as Bible Teacher at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California. He is to be commended for digging up Goodwin's work, editing it and making it available once again to Evangelicals' delight.
Published by Wipf and Stock Publishers, Goodwin's masterpiece, Redemption Redeemed: A Puritan Defense of Unlimited Atonement, stands a must for anyone interested in the Biblical doctrine of Christ's Death. For Calvinists, it should set on his/her self right beside John Owen's The Death of Death, surely a reminder that Owen did not own the English theological world with his pedantic defense of Dortian Calvinism.
For the NonCalvinist, Goodwin's work must rank--albeit historical limitations inherent within a volume in this time-frame--as the earliest, yet definitive, post-Reformation defense of Unlimited Atonement. In addition, and contrary to conventional wisdom, Goodwin's work demonstrates nicely that all Puritans were not created equally Calvinist.
I will post a fuller treatment later, perhaps with a badge to the more complete review on my front page. Goodwin's volume is that good. Yet, I want to offer a few insights into the usefulness of Redemption Redeemed.
Goodwin dribbles no excess ink facing his monumental task. He writes:
"THE premise considered, is one of the strangest and most troublesome sayings that, to my remembrance, I have ever met from the pen of a learned and considerate man. I find it in the writings of a late opposer of universal atonement. 'I know', saith he, 'no article of the gospel which this new and wicked religion of universal atonement doth not contradict.'
That which he called a 'new and wicked religion' the doctrine of universal atonement, I shall, God assisting and granting life and health for the finishing of this present discourse, evince both from the main and clear current of the Scriptures themselves, as likewise by many impregnable and undeniable demonstrations and grounds of reason, to be a most ancient and divine truth. Yea, it is none other but the heart and soul, the spirit and life, the strength and substance, and very sum of the glorious gospel itself" (p.19).
A pretty heavy bone to chew, I'd say. Unlike the Calvinist schoolmen, many of whom were every bit as much consumed with human systems of logical display as were the Medieval theologians of the pre-Reformation era, Goodwin centers his argument squarely on the corpus of Scripture--a fourfold corpus in fact.
His first chapter, which sets the pace for the subsequent argument, is entitled "Four Several Veins or Correspondences of Scriptures Propounded, Holding Forth the Death of Christ for All Men, Without Exception of Any..."
Understand though: Goodwin shows no fear to stand toe-to-toe with Dortian Calvinists like Owen and his followers on their own turf. Indeed early on his confidence glares from the page:
"I shall make it appear from ancient records of best credit, and from the confessions of modern divines themselves, of best account, adversaries in the point, that universal atonement by Christ was a doctrine generally taught and held in the Churches of Christ for three hundred years together after the Apostles.
And if I conceived it worth undertaking...I could make it as clear as the sun shining in his might, that there is...no great or weighty point of the Christian faith, that can stand with a rational consistency unless the doctrine of universal atonement be admitted for a truth."(Ibid).
The veins of Scripture which Goodwin posits demonstrate his bold thesis are fourfold. First, Goodwin, asserts that there are those numerous Scriptures which "present the gift and sacrifice of Christ as relating indifferently unto the world" (p.20). Some of the examples Goodwin assemblies are well-worn Gospel truths we now too often take for granted.
Among those that speak 'indifferently' of the world, is John 3.16--'God so loved the world'; "that the world through Him might be saved (John 3.17); "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world"(John 1.29); 'My flesh which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6.51); "And He is the propitiation...for the sins of the whole world"(1John 2.2, p 20-21).
The second corpus of Scriptures are those which insure the ransom of Christ and the will or desire of God for matters of salvation, unto all and every man (p.21). Some of these are 'Who gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Tim.2.6) along with 2 Corinthians 5.14-15, Hebrews 2.9, 1 Timothy 2.4 and 2 Peter 3.9.
A third sort of Scriptures are those which hold forth and promise salvation indifferently to him, and to whosoever or shall believe: John 6.35, 37; John 3.16; Acts 10.43; Romans 3.22-23.
The final association of Scriptures, which Goodwin asserts demonstrates universal atonement are those that speak of Christ having died for those who may yet perish or actually do perish. Romans 14.15; 1 Corinthians 8.11; 2 Peter 2.1, 20; Matthew 25. 32-33 stand as watershed passages. The remainder of the volume defends this fourfold thesis utlizing the languages, contextual matters, exegesis and consistency in interpretation as only a Puritan could honorably do.
Moreover, Goodwin slices away the thin veneer of some of the more robust Calvinist perceptions of the texts such that, Redemption Redeemed still stands as a remarkable antidote to overly-jealous Calvinists who insist their reasoning is flawless and their exegesis supreme. In my view, but only a fairly well presented understanding of Goodwin would send most of our more aggressive Brother Calvinists gasping for air.
Be reminded, nevertheless, Redemption Redeemed is not a fireside devotional. Like most Puritan writers, Goodwin is pedantic, exhaustive, perpetually verbose and will draw every drop from your bucket in remaining attentive to his, many times, skin-tight distinctions.
I'm quite confident Goodwin will show himself again on this site. Indeed I promise he will.
If you can only get one book on the Calvinist/Arminian dialog the next year, you will do well to consider John Wagner's edition of Redemption Redeemed: A Puritan Defense of Unlimited Atonement as a basic addition to your library.
Thank you, John, for making Goodwin's work available to 21st Century Evangelicals.
With that, I am...
Peter Lumpkins
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Puritan Defense of God's Love & Grace, April 20, 2008
This review is from: Redemption Redeemed: A Puritan Defense of Unlimited Atonement, Expanded Edition (Paperback)
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 this promise belongeth to some few others, but doth not belong unto us. But let us be resolved of this, that the promise of the gospel is universal. For as the preaching of repentance is universal, so the preaching of remission of sins is universal also. But that all men do not obtain the promises of the gospel," i.e. the things here promised, "it ariseth from hence, that all men do not believe."
This explains why, historically, Calvinists in general have always been so detached from missions and evangelism. Any objective study of men like Carey and Spurgeon reveals that they were at best "non-conformist" Calvinists and consequently persecuted by many of their own "brethren".
In addition, in chapter 8, Goodwin lists 32 noteworthy fathers of the early church, including St. Augustine, along with various synods and councils, which all held to General Redemption. Although this is not in itself authoritative, as their writings were not inspired, it is nonetheless interesting to note that this was without a doubt the view held by the vast majority in the church from the Apostles to even past Calvin's day. However inconsistent Calvin's teaching may have been in the conception of Limited Atonement, it was in fact, as Goodwin states, Calvin's disciple Beza who gave birth to it, and the Synod of Dort who fostered it. For those who call themselves "Augustinians" it should be rather ironic to note that part of St. Augustine's attack against the Pelagian error of his day was "to hold that Christ died not for all men" (p. 285). According to St. Augustine Limited Atonement is Pelgianism!
One last note, non-Arminian readers should be aware that Goodwin repeatedly states that a believer, although once saved, can lose his salvation. Statements like "...salvation is never conferred upon any man but upon his believing and continuance in believing unto the end", and believers must "believe perseveringly" bear this out (e.g. pg. 191).
For those who are looking for further biblical studies on General Redemption, please be sure to reference THE DEATH CHRIST DIED a Case for Unlimited Atonement by Robert Lightner,
Did Christ Die Only for the Elect? A Treatise on the Extent of Christ's Atonement by Norman Douty, and the mediate position advocated in
Getting the Gospel Right: A Balanced View of Calvinism and Arminianism by C. Gordon Olson (esp. Chap. 16).
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arguably the best defense of Arminianism ever written, October 31, 2007
This review is from: Redemption Redeemed: A Puritan Defense of Unlimited Atonement, Expanded Edition (Paperback)
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)
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