AN EXERCISE FOR YOU

Here are some statements that Christians might use to explain what happened on the cross, why it was necessary and what it means for them:

• On the cross, Jesus was being punished for my sin.

• God punished Jesus instead of punishing me.

• In my place condemned He stood.

• Jesus bore the wrath of God for me.

• On the cross where Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.

• Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath - down to the last drop - so that I would not have to.

• Because God is holy, He cannot look on sin.

• Because God is holy, He must punish sin.

• Because God is just, He must punish sin.

• Jesus became sin for me.

• The Father abandoned His Son on the cross.

• Jesus endured separation from God because this is what my sins deserved.

• Jesus' death takes away God's wrath.

• Jesus lived the life I should have lived so I don't have to.

• Jesus died the death I should have died so I don't have to.

• I am justified, once and for all, from the moment I believe.

• The perfect righteousness of Jesus has been imputed (credited) to me.

• Jesus died to secure the salvation of the elect.

Looking down the list, how many of these statements do you agree with? Are there any that you disagree with? Are there any that you are not sure about? It might be an interesting exercise for you, before you read any further, to copy out the list and mark with a tick those statements you agree with, with a cross those you disagree with and with a question mark those you are unsure about. For those statements that you disagree with or are not sure about, you might also try in each case to come up with an alternative statement that better expresses what you believe the Bible teaches. You might then return to these statements at the end of our study and do the same again. This will show you whether or not you have changed your mind about any of them during the course of our study. 

All of these statements in some way represent the Penal Substitutionary view of the atonement. If you have grown up in Reformed evangelical circles, as I did, you will probably have little difficulty with most of them. You might think they are all perfectly orthodox statements of Christian belief and that they are all supported by Scripture. And you may be deeply suspicious of anyone who would dare to question them. Indeed it may be that the stake on which I will be burned as a heretic is already being lit.  But please hear me out before you tie me to it!