“Wait, So Why Did Jesus Have To Die?”
That’s what the kind gentlemen asked me minutes after I had finished preaching.
“You said something interesting about Jesus dying as a substitute for our sins. I thought his death was more of a demonstration that he loves us. Could you share with me a bit more of what you meant?”
I took a deep breath and sought to honor the question he had asked with such humility and curiosity.
Whether you’re a seminary professor, a volunteer at a church, or a non-churchgoer who is curious about how the rest of the conversation went, we can appreciate the question.
The reality is, he asked more than just a good question. He asked a crucial question for understanding the Christian faith because Jesus as our substitute is utterly foundational to the good news of Christianity.
Rip out the idea of Jesus as our substitute who makes atonement for our sins from the Christian faith? It’s akin to ripping out the very foundation of a house which will no longer be able to stand.
The Indispensable Need for a Substitute
“Penal substitutionary atonement” is the idea that God in Jesus was willing (substitute) to pay the consequence of death (atonement) for our sins by dying on the cross for guilty sinners (penal) thereby gracing us with righteous standing and a relationship with God.
“Why would God want to punish?”
A better starting point may be “Is God good and just?” Should God deal with evil and injustice? If so, what could be a greater evil and injustice than the created order rebelling against God their Creator? There could be no greater offense than human beings crowning self-autonomy as lord over their Creator. God dealing with cosmic injustice therefore speaks to the upright integrity and justice of God.
“Why would God want to take our place?”
He wants to take the penalty for our sins because of His holy love. In love, God does the unthinkable by taking on humanity and entering the world as a human being in Jesus. Motivated by love, Jesus lives perfectly and willingly dies on the cross absorbing the wrath of God and dying the death sinful humanity should’ve died.
“Do you have a Bible verse for this?”
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26)
These verses beautifully weave together the idea that God is both just and the justified.
God justly dealt with the penalty of cosmic rebellion and sin in Jesus. God lovingly justifies (makes righteous) sinful people because of the work of Jesus.
“So without substitution, there is no salvation? No forgiveness?”
Substitution is indispensable and foundational for the forgiveness of sins.
John Stott framed it this way:
“…propitiation introduces us to rituals at a shrine, redemption to transactions in a marketplace, justification to proceedings in a court of law, and reconciliation to experience in a home or family… ‘substitution’ is not a further “theory” or “image” to be set aside the others, but rather the foundation of them all, without which each lacks cogency. If God in Christ did not die in our place, there could be neither propitiation, nor redemption, nor justification nor reconciliation.”
According to Stott, Jesus as our substitute for sins isn’t just a part of, but the foundation of the good news of Christianity.
Two Key Takeaways:
1. This is why Christians sing in church settings!
If you’ve ever wondered why Christians gather on Sundays and sing it’s because we can’t help ourselves! We’re still blown away by His love for us and in awe of what God has done for us.
He has done what we could never do for ourselves: He has paid for the penalty of our sins. He has brought us into a relationship with Himself and given us life. We’re a grateful people and grateful people sing!
2. Pastors and church leaders must not assume substitution in church settings.
D.A. Carson said, “One generation believes something. The next assumes it. And the third will forget and deny it.” This is why substitutionary atonement as the foundation of the gospel should be taught and mentioned in church environments.
I’m not saying it needs to be unnaturally squeezed in at every sermon but intentionality is needed. This is why selecting the right songs for worship, for example, is so important. Songs can be portable theology for the collective gathering on Sunday and for the individual on a Tuesday afternoon.
Conclusion
Our sins meant someone had to die. Unthinkably, Jesus died in our place for our sins. That’s why we call Him Savior!
I leave you with one of the greatest explanations of substitutionary atonement.
“For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives that belong to God alone; God accepts penalties that belong to man alone.” (John Stott)
