A Biblical Guide to Penal Substitutionary Atonement-It's at the Heart of Christianity
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (detail of the Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, c. 1432). Christ is represented as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Why did Jesus die on the cross? What exactly did that accomplish?
“Penal Substitutionary Atonement” (PSA) is a theological term that describes how Jesus took the sins of mankind upon Himself when He died on the cross. God is holy and demands that sin be punished, but He chose to punish Jesus in place of guilty sinners (like you and me). His death appeased the wrath of God against sinners and it also satisfied the need for justice to occur. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” is what Hebrews 9:22 says.
Penal. The penalty we deserved was transferred to Christ. We deserved God’s punishment in Hell because of our sin, but Jesus became our…
Substitute. Jesus did not deserve to be punished for anything; as God in human flesh He had lived a sinless life that was pleasing to God. Instead of getting rewarded for His Holy life He, instead, become “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Atonement. A similar word is propitiation. In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was sacrificed on the altar as an atonement for sin. The English word atonement is (roughly) a combination of “at” and “one,” or to be reconciled.
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 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.”
“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”
Some Christians assert that the “PSA” is a relatively modern invention that didn’t exist for the first thousand years or so of the Church. But this idea is just an assertion that usually is combined with the claim that Anselm “invented” it. But the idea that Jesus died in our place as an atoning sacrifice for our sins has been taught by others throughout Church history, and more importantly, it is taught in the Bible itself.
It is also claimed that other theories of atonement are more biblical than the PSA theory. While there certainly are other aspects to what Jesus did on the cross, it must be maintained that atoning for human sin is at the core.
The most severe critics against PSA say things like: “That’s cosmic child abuse!” or “The violent death of Jesus to appease an angry God does not display any love at all! The loving God I serve would never do that!” But we must ask ourselves: What does God’s Word say? And since God is a Trinity of three persons in one, it should be understood that He Himself paid the price for the necessary punishment our sin required.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“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.”
Christ on the Cross, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, showing the skies darkened
Here are a number of articles from various Christian thinkers who can help you understand this vital issue:
Substitutionary Atonement Article by Thomas Schreiner at the Gospel Coalition
Defending Penal Substitutionary Atonement Article by James M. Rochford
Does Isaiah 53 Support Penal Substitutionary Atonement? (A Response to the Progressive Christian Interpretation of the Suffering Servant) Article and podcast by Alisa Childers of Alisa Childers Apologetics, Theology, Culture, and Worship blog 8/19/2019
3 Reasons I Changed My Mind About Penal Substitution Article by Daniel Hames
The Beauty of the Cross: 19 Objections and Answers on Penal Substitutionary Atonement Article by Derek Rishmawy
What Is Penal Substitution? Article by Jarvis Williams
“Jesus died a violent, substitutionary death to be a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of Jews and Gentiles. By this death, Jesus took upon himself God’s righteous judgment and wrath against the sins of those for whom he died.”
The Penal Substitutionary Atonement on the Defend and Confirm Podcast on AGTV (Video/podcast)
Debunking Postmodern Liberal Claims That Penal Substitutionary Atonement Didn't Exist Until 1,000 Years After Christ Article by Chris Rosebrough
Theories of the Atonement: What Happened on the Cross? Article by Mike Riccardi
Is The Doctrine Of Penal Substitutionary Atonement A Late, Western Doctrine? Article by R. Scott Clark
Did God or Man Kill Jesus? by Brandon Kimber at The American Gospel website; this article addresses the questions that arose from the movie on this topic. Below is a short trailer for this full-length film “American Gospel-Christ Crucified” which is highly recommended.
Definitions Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:
Penal: a. [Fr. Sp. id.; It. penale; from L. pæna Gr. ποωη, pain, punishment. See Pain.] 1. Enacting punishment; denouncing the punishment of offenses; as a penal law or statute; the penal code. Penal statutes must be construed strictly. Blackstone. 2. Inflicting punishment. Adamantine chains and penal fire. Milton. 3. Incurring punishment; subject to a penalty; as a penal act or offense.
Substitute: (n.) One person put in the place of another to answer the same purpose. A person may be a substitute with full powers to act for another in an office. Representatives in legislation are the substitutes of their constituents. The orthodox creed of Christians is that Christ died as the substitute of sinners.
Steven Kozar started The Messed Up Church; he is an artist (StevenKozar.com is his art website), musician, blogger, and stuff. He makes videos, too, on The Messed Up Church YouTube channel.