Southern Baptist Convention > On The Necessity Of Penal Substitutionary Atonement
WHEREAS, On the cross of Christ Jesus the perfect love of God perfectly applies the perfect justice of God to satisfy the perfect holiness of God in order to redeem sinners (
Romans 3:26); and
WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement in effect denies the holy and loving God the exercise of His justice, the overflow of which in a sinful world is the outpouring of His just retributive wrath; and
WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement thus displays in effect the denial of the perfect character of the one true God; and
WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement constitutes false teaching that leads the flock astray (
Acts 20:28) and leaves the world without a message of a sin-cleansing Savior (
Romans 5:6–11); and
WHEREAS, The denial of penal substitutionary atonement necessarily compromises the biblical and historical doctrines of propitiation, expiation, ransom, satisfaction, Christus Victor, Christus Exemplar, and more; and
WHEREAS, The Lord promised a warrior-savior who would crush the head of the serpent to obliterate the enemy (
Genesis 3:15;
Romans 16:20;
Revelation 19:11–16); and
WHEREAS, The sacrificial system of the Old Testament culminated in the blood sacrifice of a spotless lamb on the Day of Atonement (
Leviticus 16:11–19); and
WHEREAS, Jesus Himself unveiled the salvific mission that necessitated His incarnation (
Hebrews 2:17) when He said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (
Matthew 20:28); and
WHEREAS, The confession of the Scriptures is that Christ is our passive and active righteousness, forgiving all our sin by His death and imputing to us all His righteousness through faith (
1 Corinthians 1:30;
2 Corinthians 5:21;
Philippians 3:9); and