Many times, on theological topics like justice, judgment, atonement, satisfaction, etc., we encounter conflicts with those who oppose or do not appreciate what we are saying. Comparing how these and other key words are defined under the two opposing law constructs, Imposed Law vs Design Law, will help clear up the apparent conflict.
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Design Law Construct.
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Imposed Law Construct.
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Justification. | Setting man’s heart right with God. | Declaring man legally right with God. |
Judgment by God. | Diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, pronouncement of natural result. | Legal finding and determination of arbitrarily imposed punishment. |
Forgiveness. | The experience of God freely forgiving AND the sinner repenting, resulting in actual reconciliation. | Legal pardon, because of a legal payment.
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Salvation. | The experience of trusting God and accepting Jesus Christ into the heart, which results in healing and restoration to God’s original ideal. | Legally accepting Jesus’ blood payment and having “pardon” entered into heaven’s record books. |
Atonement. | Being at-one with God. | Appeasement, paying legal penalty. |
Satisfaction. | God being satisfied with Christ perfectly completing his mission to reveal the truth and provide the Remedy which restores humans back into God’s perfect ideal. | God receiving legal payment of His Son’s blood to “satisfy” His demand for retribution. |
Justice. | Delivering the oppressed. | Punishing the oppressor. |
Vengeance. | Healing the damage caused by sin, i.e. destroying sin and its results. | Punishing sinners for their crimes. |
Wrath. | Letting go to reap the natural results of one’s choice. | Infliction of external pain, suffering, and punishment. |
Anger. | God’s rage at sin and outrage at the damage caused to the object of His love (like a doctor angry at disease but never the sick patient) and the letting go to receive what a non-compliant patient chooses. | God’s outrage at how He has been treated, His incensed and hostile response to violations of His law and disrespect toward Him and the infliction of punishment for such disobedient behavior. |
Heavenly Records. | The exact transcript of each individual character (like medical records) documenting the true heart condition of each person, and the history of the Remedy offered and either applied or rejected with its results. | A legal tally of every sin committed and accurate notation of each crime confessed and notated pardon by each act as the blood of Jesus is applied to the heavenly transcript. |