Well, yesterday’s Bible study was about John 9-10,
and we had a great time discussing topics like the legitimacy of
Christianity and illumination (that is, Jesus
shining in our hearts as the “light of the world”, John 8:12; 9:5). However, we
didn't get to the idea of substitution, that Christ died for the
“sheep” (John 10:11, 15).
This opens up the question of the meaning of
Christ’s death; why did he die? What did his death actually achieve?
The technical term when describing what the cross was all
about is penal substitution (penal means “relates to punishment”).
This view, which was formally established by the reformers of the sixteenth
century, states that Christ, in his death, took the place of sinners, assuaging
the wrath of God toward them (a process called ‘propitiation’) by which God
makes them righteous in his sight ( a process known as ‘justification), and
redeeming them from the slave-market of sin (known as ‘redemption’).[i]
God, as judge of the universe, is infinitely holy and has
wrath against all those who break his law. This wrath, which is focused on
sinners directly (John 3:36; Rom. 2:8), could not be lessened by any sacrifice
which humans could give (Heb. 10:4). So God, in love (John 3:16), sent his Son
to make right the relationship which had been marred by sin (Isaiah 59:2),
taking the full punishment that was due them on the cross (Isaiah 53:4-6).
Thus, by Christ’s death, the wrath of God was pacified, and now he can justify
(or, ‘make righteous in his sight’) all who believe in Christ (see Rom. 3:21-26;
Gal. 2:14-16). Christ, in this action, redeemed his people from the slave
market of sin (see Rom. 6:5-8; 8:1-3), paying the full penalty for all their
sins, past and present (Heb. 10:11-14). The effects of Christ’s death are now
mediated through faith, so that “whoever
believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16b; cf.
Rom. 3:21-25).
So that’s what we mean when we talk about substitution. It’s the reality that “in
my place, condemned he stood,” as the hymn goes. That Jesus died when I should
have, and suffered all the punishment that should have been mine. The good
shepherd died “for” his sheep.
Feel free to post your questions and thoughts,
God bless,
Casey D.
[i]
Taken from James M. Boice, “the Nature of the Atonement: Propitiation” in Atonement (Phillipsburg, P&R
Publishing, 2010), pgs. 33-34.
*testing*
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