Frequently Assaulted Quotes

Salvation

• Quote #1: "The fact is, I do not see how God's justice can be satisfied without every man's suffering in his own person the full penalty for his sins." (Life and Letters of Hort, Vol. I, pg 120).

Quote #1: "The fact is, I do not see how God's justice can be satisfied without every man's suffering in his own person the full penalty for his sins." (Life and Letters of Hort, Vol. I, pg 120).

At this time, Hort was a chipper 21 year old in college, playing rugby and studying theology at Trinity College in Cambridge. The quote comes from a lengthy personal letter to Rev. F. D. Maurice (a very well known Reverend in England at that time). Hort, as a student, is struggling with understanding some of the different viewpoints of the atonement (such as universalism, limited atonement, etc.), and is asking the Reverend for some help and clarification. I find it extremely telling that whoever dug out that quote in the first place did not also include the rest of the paragraph which clearly shows Hort's real view (italics in original, underline added):

"... I know that it can, for if it could not in the case of some at least, the whole Bible would be a lie ; but if in the case of some, why not of all? A reconcilliation of the person may be dependent, at least in its realization, upon its acceptance on part of the will ; but how does this apply to the suffering of penalties?"

You can see from the rest of the quote that I provided that Hort DOES know and accept that God's justice can be satisified without every man's suffering in his own person the full penalty for his sins. He's just unclear (as a young student) about how the details are reconciled, and he's asking a respected Reverend for some information on the subject.