Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 27:3 (Fall 2023)
Article: “Simply” Preeminent: Defending The Preeminence Of Penal Substitutionary Atonement "Through" Divine Simplicity
Author: Robert Gregory Lyon

SBJT 27:3 (Fall 2023) p. 68

“Simply” Preeminent: Defending The Preeminence Of Penal Substitutionary Atonement Through Divine Simplicity

Robert Gregory Lyon

Robert Gregory Lyon is a PhD student in Systematic Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He also earned a Master of Divinity from SBTS. He has written for “Christ Over All” (www.christoverall.com) and the Federalist. Robert is married with three children and a member of Hunsinger Lane Baptist Church in Louisville.

Can we say that one atonement theory is preeminent among the others? Or must we admit that there are many equally valid, biblical metaphors for the atonement that emerge from biblical revelation?1 One particular challenge to those affirming the preeminence of one atonement theory captures our attention here. According to Adam Johnson, since the “divine attribute(s) stand at the centre of any theory of the atonement, shaping its constituent parts and determining its insights and limitations,” one cannot hold to the doctrine of God’s simplicity while also affirming a preeminent theory of the atonement. To do so would be to privilege one attribute of God over the others, thereby denying God’s simplicity. Thus, we ask: does affirming one atonement theory as preeminent among others really do injury to God’s simplicity, as Johnson’s implies?2

SBJT 27:3 (Fall 2023) p. 69

In this article I’ll argue against this. My thesis is that when properly conceived, divine simplicity, alongside the doctrine of divine justice, necessarily entails the preeminence of penal substitutionary atonement.3 My argument is structured in three main parts. First, I will begin by showing that Johnson is working with a different doctrine of divine simplicity than those who have generally affirmed the preeminence of penal substitution historically. Second, I will present one of Johnson’s opponents, Francis Turretin, who holds to a different relationship between divine simplicity and the divine attributes. Third, I will articulate the nature of divine justice, demonstrating its relationship to divine simplicity and the central role it plays in explaining the death of Christ.

Adam Johnson, Karl Barth, And Divine Simplicity

In this section, I will, in three parts, support my claim that Johnson is adopting the doctrine of divine simplicity as defined by Karl Barth and then logically extending its implications into the doctrine of atonement. First, I will provide an introduction to Johnson’s view of simplicity, which will naturally lead us, secondly, ...