The Importance
Of The Doctrine Of Penal Substitutionary Atonement
“For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some
would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by
his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
(Romans 5:6–11)
Defining The
Terms
As
we consider the importance of the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement,
it is necessary that we first define our terms. When we speak of atonement, we
speak of the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of the sinner to God. Our
use of the term substitutionary atonement refers the fact that we believe the
Scriptures teach us that atonement comes because Jesus took our place when He
died on the cross for our sins. We also use the word penal to refer to Jesus’
suffering as having been punitive in nature. That is, Jesus was punished for
our sins.
Christ The Woman’s
Conquering Seed
From
the time that sin entered into the world, God promised us a Savior. His words
to the serpent and to the woman were, “and I will put enmity between thee
and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) From Cain to Isaac, and on to
the promise made to David in 2 Samuel chapter seven, the seed had been
anticipated; the one who would come to conquer the serpent and overcome sin was
awaited. Finally, God sent Him. “When the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians
4:4–5) Jesus, conceived and born of a virgin, came into this world to set man
free from sin.
The
conquering work of Jesus was to be by means of death and resurrection. This is
why He was incarnated. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of
flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
(Hebrews 2:14) The incarnation of the eternal Son of God was so that He might
die for our sins and thus conquer him who had ensnared, enslaved, and dominated
humanity through sin.
Not
only would Jesus die, but He was predestined to arise from the dead, and thus
conquer sin. Paul told the Romans that, “Christ being raised from the dead
dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he
died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” (Romans
6:9–10) Death dominated humanity, but in the risen Christ all shall be made
alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). Jesus rose from the dead, thus breaking the
domination and power of sin, and today His people live in anticipation of the
promise, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” (Romans 16:20)
Death And Its Remedy
What
does Jesus as the conquering seed have to do with penal substitution?
Everything, is the answer that we give.
When
man was placed in the garden, he was given a warning regarding sin: “but of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) The
punishment for disobedience was to be death. Because man refused to be thankful
and give glory to God (Romans 1:18-21), he ate of the forbidden fruit, thus
plunging all of humanity into sin and death. “Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned: for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not
imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s
transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” (Romans 5:12–14)
Even when people did not have the law, and where they are ignorant of the law,
death reigns over man because of this sin of Adam, and all of humanity in him.
Scripture
speaks of Jesus as the second Adam (Romans 5:12-14;1 Corinthians 15:45-47), who
came so that all who are in Him would live. Thus it is that Jesus took upon
Himself the penalty of our sins and died for us, as we see in Romans 5:6-11. We
are told that He was offered to bear our sins. “And as it is appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:27–28) Jesus’ death was
as our substitute who carried our sins, so that He might give life to us. He
stood as the federal head of His people and took the punishment for our sins so
that we might live forever with Him.
It Pleased The
LORD To Bruise Him
From
time to time here in the United States we hear people arguing about who it was
that killed Jesus. The Scriptures tell us that His Father sent Him in order to
die in order that we might live through Him. “Ye know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last
times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead,
and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter
1:18–21) Before He created the world, God had decreed that the Son come and die
for our sins. His purpose in this was so that we would trust God and have life
in His Son. Jesus, our Passover(1 Corinthians 5:7), the Lamb of God who takes
away our sins (John 1:29), was sent to be our substitute.
Isaiah
saw this many years before it actually happened and prophesied saying, “Yet
it pleased the Lord to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief: When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, He
shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall
my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
(Isaiah 53:10–11) At least ten times in this chapter we find that Jesus would
die as a substitute for sinners. His death was for our sins, He bore the
penalty for our iniquities, and the Father was pleased to bruise and crush Him
in our place. Reading this text, it is impossible for the sincere reader to
reject the fact that the Father punished the Son instead of us. This is why “Philip
opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
(Acts 8:35) It is also why the eunuch believed and was baptized as one who had
died to sin and was alive to God: they both recognized the truth that Jesus’
death was Him bearing the punishment for our sins, as our substitute, so that
we might live through Him.
Jesus’
words to Nicodemus ring loudly with the truth of Jesus’ having been sent by the
Father to be punished in our place: “For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Jesus was sent and given that we
might not perish. Paul followed up and said that the Father did not mitigate
the punishment of the Son in any way, but freely gave Him for us all (Romans
8:32), and this is why we are justified (Romans 8:33-34).
Paul
also wrote to Corinth and presented the wonderful truth that Jesus was sent by
the Father to be punished in our stead: “And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to
God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:18–21) For
reconciliation to take place, there must be a settlement regarding the offence
that separated the two parties being reconciled. Atonement was made by Christ
when He died for our sins. Our sins were not accounted to us, but to Christ,
when He was delivered for our offences (Romans 4:25). He was made a sin
offering for us when He died on the cross. This is what is meant when we speak
of Jesus and penal substitutionary atonement.
Finally,
we read of Jesus being punished for us when we read the book of Galatians. “For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the
sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is
not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Galatians 3:10–13) It
is important to note that the doctrines of the depravity of man and justification
by faith are tied up with the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. Here
we read that sinful man does not obey God, does not keep His law, and that
Jesus died, taking the punishment that was our due, so that we might be
justified by faith. To deny penal substitutionary atonement is also to reject
the serious nature of man’s depravity, the holiness of God and His law, as well
as to present man as not needing to be justified by God. We cannot speak
emphatically enough about how important this is!
Christ The
Exemplar And Penal Substitutionary Atonement
The
liberal argument that Jesus simply came to set a good example must also be
briefly addressed here. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus’ example for us is inextricably
tied to penal substitutionary atonement. Peter declares that the example of
Jesus that we should follow is that of walking in His righteous footsteps. That
is seen in His dying for our sins: “For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should
follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who,
when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not;
but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going
astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
(1 Peter 2:21–25) Likewise John told us that we should love one another
as Jesus loves us and died for us (1 John 3:16;4:9-11). More than being simply
a moral example of good living, Jesus is our exemplar because He took upon
Himself the punishment for our sins, thus showing us how to love, suffer, and
if need be die for our brethren.
Why Should We
Separate From Those Who Do Not Believe In Penal Substitutionary Atonement?
Why
should we separate from those who do not believe in penal substitutionary
atonement? There are two very important reasons why we should do so.
The
first reason to separate from those who deny penal substitutionary atonement is
that they deny the truth and preach another gospel. Just as Paul censured those
at Galatia who preached a gospel other than justification by faith in Christ,
who died for our sins (Galatians 1:6-10), so these people reject the truth and
are under the same curse. Having instructed the Romans in the truth regarding
the fundamental doctrines of the faith, Paul told them, “Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to
the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” (Romans 16:17) These
words are authoritative even today, and we must obey them.
We
must also recognize the sad spiritual condition of those who reject penal
substitutionary atonement. We cannot consider them brothers in Christ, because
they have embraced another gospel. We are to reject heretics (Titus 3:10), and
we are to refuse to receive those professors who do not embrace the truth concerning
Jesus (2 John 1:9-10). We do well to recall the command given by God through
the apostle saying, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14–18) We should love them, and
warn them as we would our brother (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15), yet we are to deal
with him as a heathen and a tax collector (Matthew 18:17).
Though we leave the ultimate
judgment to God, yet it is our duty to exercise discernment, diligence, and
discipline as we interact with those who profess Jesus. We must beware both the
deceivers and the deceived. We should seek to call them to repentance and, if
they refuse, to disassociate ourselves (Titus 3:10-11). In rejecting the truth,
they have condemned themselves. Let us examine ourselves regarding our doctrine
and our love for Christ so that we will not be found among those who turn away
from the truth.
