The obedience of Christ in the theology of John Calvin

In the history of dogma, Calvin's doctrine of the Atonement has been described as "a penal substitutionary theory," This judgement calls for a critical re-appraisal. If It is the case, as it surely Is, that In his theology, Calvin sought nothing more than to be faithful to the Biblical witness, then we should expect that his presentation of the doctrine of the Atonement, will not confine itself to two concepts - penalty and substitution - but will reflect something of the variety and comprehensiveness of the Biblical picture of the Work of Christ, The Biblical character of Calvin's doctrine of reconciliation - its manifoldness and richness - can be seen if we take the notion of obedience as the key category. Perhaps this can be made clear in the following way. If we compare Calvin's doctrine of reconciliation to a large mansion in which there are many rooms, then the notion of obedience Is like the spacious central hall, on to which all the rooms of the house open. To enter this hall and to explore it, is both to become aware of the different rooms and to gain access to them. Thus, to investigate the notion of the obedience of Christ is to see the numerous other images which comprise Calvin's presentation of the doctrine of the Atonement: recapitulation, sacrifice, penalty, satisfaction, substitution, representation, and Christus Victor, Calvin employs all these notions and combines them into a concrete whole; but what we are left with is not so much a theory of the Atonement as a rich and comprehensive picture of it.The thesis is divided into three parts. Part One is introductory. To deal properly with Calvin's doctrine of reconciliation, it was necessary to orient his teaching about the Work of Christ, first, to his doctrine of the covenant; and secondly, to his understanding of the concept of Mediator, Chapter One is devoted to a discussion of the relation of the notion of obedience to such concepts as the covenant of gratuitous adoption, the law of the covenant, the sacrifices of the covenant, and the expectation of the new covenant. This investigation prepares the ground for what is argued in Part Two, If the notion of the covenant is fundamental for a right understanding; of his doctrine of reconciliation, Calvin's notion of the 'Mediatorship' of Christ is even more important. What Calvin means by this concept is investigated in Chapter Two, and his doctrine of the Person of the Mediator i3 also considered.Part Two contains the main argument of the thesis. The work of reconciliation, according to Calvin, cannot be limited to the death of Christ, but rather belongs to the whole course of His obedience from His birth to His death. Chapter Three considers the obedience of Christ in assuming the form of a servant; Chapters Four and Five, the different aspects of the obedience of Christ's life. Chapter Six is devoted to a lengthy discussion of the obedience of Christ's death. Here we consider the different images which Calvin used to speak of the death of Christ and also attempt to show how they are related to one another. The final chapter in Part Two is devoted to a consideration of the exaltation of the obedient Servant of God and of His heavenly ministry for us.It is impossible to discuss Calvin's doctrine of reconciliation without also considering how the grace which Christ acquired for us by His obedience becomes ours. Part Three is devoted to this subject. Chapter Eight considers Calvin's doctrine of participato Christi and the fruits of that participation, justification and sanctification. The final chapter is devoted to a discussion of the obedience of the Christian as grounded upon and proceeding from the obedience of Christ