Just Thinking - Introduction

INTRODUCTION

For this, my next voyage into the heavy seas and choppy waters of evangelical controversy I have decided to navigate the topic of Penal Substitution. This will undoubtedly be a rather perilous journey since for many of my fellow-evangelicals the doctrine of Penal Substitution is the touchstone of orthodoxy and to question it in any way is therefore to risk shipwrecking one's faith on the rocks of heresy.

Nevertheless, using Scripture both as a compass to guide us and as an anchor to keep us steady, my intention in this book is to plot a course through the ocean of controversy surrounding this topic. Our journey will confront us with our sinfulness and its consequences. It will take us through topics such as the holiness, justice and wrath of God. But ultimately it will lead us to the heart of the Father.

Our destination is a richer, fuller understanding of what was accomplished for us on the cross and a deeper, more intimate relationship with the One who was 'in Christ reconciling the world to Himself' through it. (2 Corinthians 5: 19). The reward will make the journey worthwhile. So bring a life jacket and come with me...

In Book 1 we will examine the logical and Biblical problems posed by the doctrine of Penal Substitution and propose an alternative way of understanding the atonement. Then in Book 2 we will proceed to examine how this alternative understanding of the atonement affects our understanding of salvation, the character of God and even the Bible itself. And finally, at the end of Book 2, we will consider why all of this matters and provide lists of recommended books and online resources for further study on the topics we have covered.

What Is Penal Substitution?

It might help, first, to define what is meant by Penal Substitution. The words themselves are not found in the Bible, but the phrase is used by theologians as a shorthand way of referring to a particular theory of the atonement - i.e. a way of understanding what happened on the cross and the difference it makes to us.

The word 'penal' is an adjective referring to the punishment of offenders under the legal system; the word substitution refers to someone or something that takes the place of another. Thus, at its most basic the doctrine of penal substitution refers to the idea that on the cross Jesus took the punishment that we deserved for our sins. Nothing controversial there, you might think...but you would be wrong.

Broadening it out a little, here are some statements, some from proponents and some from critics of the doctrine, explaining what in their view it means and what lies behind it:

'The doctrine of penal substitution states that God gave himself in the person of his Son to suffer instead of us the death, punishment and curse due to fallen humanity as the penalty for sin.'1

'If asked what Jesus came to do and how he did it, most Christians would automatically say something like, 'Jesus took the punishment from God that I deserved.' This is what is known as the Penal Substitution view of the atonement for it emphasises that Jesus was punished by God in our place. His sacrifice appeased the Father’s wrath towards us and thus allows us to be saved.'2

'Penal Substitution, in a nutshell, is the idea that our sin was imputed to Jesus on the cross; there He literally bore the punishment our sin deserved. Or, as it is often put, on Him the wrath of God was poured out in our place.'3

'Penal Substitution says God is so holy that every sin will be punished. Every single sin in the life of every Christian believer through all of human history was punished. All sin must be punished. Either the sinner will bear that punishment eternally, or Christ took that punishment on the cross. The only thing that protects the pure, righteous holiness of God is that sin is punished. That’s Penal Substitution. If you remove that part of the cross, then how does God reconcile His holiness with washing sin away without a punishment? There has to be a punishment for God to maintain His justice. That punishment falls on His Son.'4

'Penal Substitution rests on three basic ideas. First and foremost, the notion of retributive justice, that God requires the death of a perfect sacrifice to forgive our sins. In short, that on the cross Jesus Christ died to pay back God’s justice. Second, that the wrath of God must be appeased, that God is full of wrath towards us and must have that wrath satisfied, or 'propitiated' in Christ’s death. And finally, that God turned His back on Jesus Christ in His death, that Jesus was forsaken and abandoned because God cannot look upon our sin.'5

There are a number of illustrations that are commonly used in gospel talks to explain what happened on the cross. One of these puts the listener in the courtroom and asks him to imagine that he has been convicted of a terrible crime and been sentenced to death as a result. Then someone steps in and volunteers to be sent to the gallows in his place.

According to this view, then, the gospel narrative goes something like this:

'God created Adam and Eve in perfection, but then Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. God immediately banished them from His presence and everyone born since then has been born separated from God and under His just condemnation.

God is so holy he cannot even look at us because of our sin. And because we are guilty of sin against an infinite God, we must receive an infinite punishment. Therefore we are all on our way to eternal suffering in the fires of hell, and there is nothing we can do to avoid it.

However, God himself made a remarkable provision. He sent his own son to take our sin upon himself. At the crucifixion, God poured all his wrath from our sin upon Jesus, who was infinitely righteous; Jesus suffered the penalty of sin for all of us. Therefore, if we accept the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, God is able to look at us through the blood of Jesus and forgive our sin.

If we turn from our sins and accept Jesus as our Saviour, we can avoid eternal suffering in hell and, instead, go to heaven when we die.'6

That's Penal Substitution. But is it an accurate understanding of what happened on the cross? That's what this book is about.

What Is The Problem?

For many, this is a doctrine of central importance to the gospel and anyone who rejects it is plainly in error:

'If God did not punish his Son in my place, I am not saved from my greatest peril, the wrath of God.' We have only one hope and it is 'that the infinite wisdom of God might make a way for the love of God to satisfy the wrath of God so that I might become a son of God.'7

'Penal substitution is not some kind of optional issue. You’ve got a huge problem if God just says, 'Hey, you’re forgiven.' The character of God would be called into question as to His integrity, His holiness, His virtue, His righteousness and His perfection. God is so pure and holy that He will punish every single sin ever committed by every person, either in that person or in the substitute for that person. That is the purest heart of Christianity and soteriology.'4

'Is there more than one thing to say about the atonement? Absolutely. Are there a variety of implications and applications that can be drawn from the cross of Christ? Of course. But none of them make sense if Christ did not die in our place to assuage the wrath of God. Penal Substitution is not a theory – one suggested idea that may or may not be true. Penal Substitutionary Atonement is the hope of sinners, the heart of the gospel, and the good news without which all other news regarding the cross is null and void.'8

Nevertheless, the view has come in for a number of criticisms in recent years. You may be familiar with Steve Chalke's hugely controversial claim that the Penal Substitution view of the cross amounts to cosmic child abuse. Here is what he and his co-author Alan Mann wrote in 2004:

'The fact is that the cross isn’t a form of cosmic child abuse - a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offense he has not even committed. Understandably, both people inside and outside of the Church have found this twisted version of events morally dubious and a huge barrier to faith. Deeper than that, however, is that such a concept stands in total contradiction to the statement: ‘God is love.’ If the cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God towards humankind but borne by his Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus’ teaching to love your enemies and to refuse to repay evil with evil.'9

Then in 2013, the Presbyterian Church of the USA were producing a new hymnal for their congregations and wanted to include the song In Christ Alone by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. However:

'The original lyrics say that on the cross where Jesus died 'the wrath of God was satisfied.' The Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song wanted to substitute the words, 'the love of God was magnified.' The song’s authors, Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, objected. So the committee voted to drop the song. Critics say the proposed change was sparked by liberals wanting to take God’s wrath out of the hymnal. The committee says there’s plenty of wrath in the new hymnal. Instead, the problem is the word 'satisfied,' which the committee says refers to a specific view of theology that it rejects.'10

In the first part of this book, we will explore these and other criticisms of the Penal Substitutionary view of the atonement. In the second part, we will examine whether there is anything in God's nature - in particular, His holiness, justice and wrath - that makes Penal Substitution necessary. In the third part, we will examine the Biblical arguments that are used to support key aspects of the doctrine of Penal Substitution. In the fourth part we will consider an alternative way of understanding what happened on the cross, in the fifth part we will consider how this in turn affects our understanding of salvation and in the sixth part, how it affects our understanding of the character of God. And finally, in the seventh part we will consider how the cross fits into the big story of the Bible.

Why Does It Matter?

The atonement of Christ is perhaps the most important doctrine of the Bible. It is because of the atonement that we can be forgiven, adopted into God's family and saved for eternity. It is central to the way we relate to God and central to the message of the gospel. This being the case, the atonement is something we need to be very careful to understand and explain correctly.

Of course there is a sense in which we will never fully understand the wonder of the cross. There is a depth to the mercy of God revealed in the cross that we can never fathom. We will never plumb its depths or exhaust its riches. Each time we contemplate it, we will be forced to say with Paul: 'Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!' (Romans 11: 33)

Nevertheless, with the help of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit we will seek to grow in our understanding of the cross in order that we might grasp more fully what it reveals to us about the Father and lay hold more comprehensively on all that He has made available to us through the death of His Son.

Notes

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse