Link: On John Wesley and Penal Substitution

I found the article Penal Substitution in John Wesley’s Atonement Theology quite helpful. It’s one valuable note that is often not accounted for enough in scattered Wesley quotations is the development of his own experience.

I value penal substitution, though not nearly enough for many of my Reformed friends, in that I believe it is one of many metaphors used for the atonement. The atonement is a huge topic and we should expect to encounter mystery. Unlike more progressive theologians, who tend to discount penal substitution, I think it has a story to tell. So, however, to other theories.

Here are a couple of earlier blog posts I’ve written on the subject, not of Wesley’s view, but of penal substitution:

• Narrowing a Doctrine: Penal Substitution and Isaiah 53
• Penal Substitution is ONE of the Ways to Talk about the Atonement

We are not saved by our theological beliefs any more than we are saved by any other type of works. But good beliefs do make it easier to make that surrender to God.