THE CROSS – SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT

Christ died, in place of us, for the sins of the world, satisfying the righteousness of God. This is the Big Bang of God’s eternal plan to bring us into fellowship with Himself (reconciliation). This is known by the terms “penal atonement,” substitutionary atonement,” or “vicarious atonement.” From this “Big Bang” the entirety of God’s plan was enabled to emerge.

We find shadows of this divine plan throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, most prominently in Isaiah:

·       Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all…And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:4-6, 9-10 ESV)

I mention this now because this doctrine of “penal atonement” through faith in His shed blood is now being denied, even in churches. In one local church, I was screamed out of the pastor’s Bible study after I had challenged the pastor’s denial of this most necessary of all doctrines.

In a video interview of Pastor Bruxy Cavey claimed he couldn’t find where in the Bible that God had poured out His just wrath upon His Son. However, the above verses demonstrate that this doctrine is even found in the OT, but much more so in the NT. Here’s a sampling:

·       [Jesus] who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

·       …Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. (Galatians 1:3-4)

·       For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10; 8:32)

·       For our sake he [the Father] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

·       He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

However, Cavey also couldn’t fathom the idea that the Father’s righteousness could possibly be satisfied by the death of His Son. However, the doctrine of “propitiation” claims this very thing:

·       He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2; 4:10)

·       and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:24-26; Hebrews 2:17)

Because God’s righteousness was satisfied, we could now be reconciled to Him through faith. Before this, our Lord explained that he couldn’t be in the presence of Israel, lest He destroy them:

·       “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:3)

The reality of our separation from God had also been reflected through the Temple. The Israelite could not approach God, lest he be smitten to death. Even the High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year and only after the most elaborate cleansings. However, once Christ died, the separating curtain had been miraculously torn in two, symbolizing the fact that we now had been reconciled and would have direct access to our Savior. Reconciliation meant that God’s righteousness had been satisfied so that He would no longer count our sins against us:

·       All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20-22)

This enmity between us, caused by our sins, has now been resolved, enabling us to enter boldly into His presence:

·       Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV)

Can we understand how God’s character demands justice and punishment? Perhaps! Since we are created in His likeness, we too can experience His passion for justice. When evildoers are finally caught and punished, there is something in us that leaps for joy. If we have been the subject of victimization, we might forgive, but it also might be hard to move on until we see justice rendered. Perhaps this might enable us to accept the fact that God has a similar consuming passion.