{"id":4031,"date":"2011-04-22T20:20:55","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T00:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=4031"},"modified":"2012-07-16T22:01:47","modified_gmt":"2012-07-17T02:01:47","slug":"substitutionary-atonement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/substitutionary-atonement\/","title":{"rendered":"The Substitute God and Substitutionary Atonement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SubstitutionaryWhen you think of the word \u201csubstitute\u201d what do you think of? Substitute sugar? Substitute teacher? Around this time of year, you might think of Jesus as our substitute on the cross. But what does this mean?<\/p>\n

I have often said in my preaching and teaching, and have heard many others say the same, that Jesus died in the cross so that we don\u2019t have to. It is often explained that because of sin, and since the wages of sin is death, everybody who sins must die.<\/p>\n

God must punish sin, we are told, and so since we are sinners, God must punish us. But Jesus came along and took our place on the cross, so that we would not have to suffer and die like He did. God\u2019s wrath against us was poured out upon Jesus instead.<\/p>\n

Typically, that is how penal substitutionary atonement is explained. \u00a0But is this correct?<\/p>\n

Well, parts are. But other parts, not so much.<\/p>\n

The Correct Parts<\/h2>\n

First, the parts that are correct. Yes, we are all sinners. Yes, the wages of sin is death, and so yes, all must die. Yes, Jesus died on the cross, and yes, it is there in Jesus that God dealt with our sin. Jesus took our sin upon Himself so that we might gain His righteousness.<\/p>\n

That much is correct.<\/p>\n

…And Not So Much<\/h2>\n

But what about the \u201cnot so much\u201d parts?<\/p>\n

The main issue is why Jesus died on the cross as our substitute. Again, to reiterate what is often taught, many say that the reason why Jesus died on the cross was because God had to punish someone for our sin. He had to pour out His wrath upon someone. And so rather than condemn and punish us, He condemned and punished Jesus.<\/p>\n

But does this ever strike you as somewhat…unjust? As somewhat\u2026abusive? As somewhat\u2026ungodly? And also, as somewhat…unbiblical?<\/p>\n

Steve Chalke, in his book, The Lost Message of Jesus<\/em><\/a>, points out the problem better than I:<\/p>\n

The cross isn\u2019t a form of cosmic child abuse\u2014a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offense he has not even committed. \u2026If the cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God towards humankind but borne by His Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus\u2019 own teaching to love your enemies and refuse to repay evil with evil (p. 182f).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Substitution is not the idea that God wanted to punish us but punished Jesus instead. No, God wanted to condemn sin, which He did in the Jesus Christ (Rom 8:3). Jesus bore the condemnation of sin in His body rather than in ours. As NT Wright says in one of his online articles<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The multiple strands of idolatry, sin, evil, wickedness, oppression, violence, judgment and all the rest throughout the Old Testament come rushing together and do their worst to Jesus. He takes their full force, and do so because that was God\u2019s purpose all along.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God never wanted nor desired to deal with sin in our own bodies, primarily because He never would have been successful in doing so. Because we are sinners, God could not defeat sin in us. When we die, even if we were to die a horrible death on a cross like Jesus, sin would not be defeated. Instead, sin would forever be victorious.<\/p>\n

The only way for God to deal with sin is to deal with it himself. He must take it on. He must fight the battle.<\/p>\n

\"crownIt is not, as many of us like to say, \u201cBecause of sin, someone must suffer, either Jesus or us.\u201d No, for even if we suffered, it would accomplished nothing. Once sin entered the world through Adam, there was only way to defeat it, and that was for God to take it upon Himself, which He did in Jesus Christ. Again, this was not because He is mad or angry at us, and transferred this anger upon Jesus, but rather, He did this because of His great love for us, and because He desired to see us freed from sin and death.<\/p>\n

Why does it matter?<\/h2>\n

It matters because we must not get the wrong picture about God from what happened on the cross.<\/p>\n

God is not an angry, wrathful, bloodthirsty being who wants to torture and kill people when they disobey Him, but Jesus came along and convinced God to pour out this wrath on Himself instead of upon us.<\/p>\n

Was there a substitution that took place? Absolutely. But it was not us for Jesus; it was rather our sin for His righteousness. He took our sin, and in His own body, on the cross, condemned sin, destroyed death, and rose victoriously from the grave, because of His\u2014and God\u2019s\u2014great love for us.<\/p>\n

For more on this, see the following:<\/p>\n