83r17h
Puritan Board Freshman
I have been running across a view for a few years in some literature which "tones down" its view of divine justice, viewing judicial punishment as incompatible with God's moral character, and the Scripture's usage of such terminology as figurative. Their view is that God "punishes" only passively, rather than actively, by ordaining the nature of creation to have negative consequences for sinful behavior (Proverbs is often pointed to as a precedent in this respect). In this vein, they swap out penal substitution for Christ removing the consequences of sin, and make a distinction between consequences and punishment.
My initial thoughts by way of response are that it seems to fail accounting for much of the complaints that the Psalter registers (the wicked prosper), and the final judgment as depicted in Scripture (resurrection specifically for the purpose of second death). However, I am curious if anyone is familiar with this view, what it would be called, and any Reformed engagements with it. Since it seems to be a newer view, it's not really addressed in older authors that I can find.
My initial thoughts by way of response are that it seems to fail accounting for much of the complaints that the Psalter registers (the wicked prosper), and the final judgment as depicted in Scripture (resurrection specifically for the purpose of second death). However, I am curious if anyone is familiar with this view, what it would be called, and any Reformed engagements with it. Since it seems to be a newer view, it's not really addressed in older authors that I can find.
