Featured The Biblical Doctrine of Penal Substitution

Le 4:20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

Le 4:26 And he shall burn all his fat on the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Le 4:31 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet smell to the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

Le 5:18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the flock, with your estimation, for a trespass offering, to the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and knew it not, and it shall be forgiven him.

Le 6:7 And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he has done in trespassing therein.

Le 19:22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he has done: and the sin which he has done shall be forgiven him.

In each case the sin was committed first. Second, atonement followed for that sin. Third, the future tense "shall be" follows in regard to forgiveness.

The sacrificial system is set up to picture the atonement of Christ for sin. Every aspect had to be exact to the pattern given to Moses on the Mount, and then later to David. This included the brass altar and fire, both of which are common Biblical symbols for the wrath of God demonstrating that Christ represented by the lamb without spot or blemish must suffer the wrath of God against sin in the place of the sinner. The law required a penalty and that penalty equals God's wrath.

Moreover, on the day of atonement the High Priest would lay his hands upon the head of the sacrifice symbolizing the transfer of sins from the people to the sacrifice.

On judgement day the standard is to judge and reward them "according to their works" which demands exact equivilancy for their sin debts. In response, this required more than a human substitute but the God/man who can supply an infinite worth and infinite suffering (eternal) due to his Deity in order to redeem more than one person but all the elect.

Isaiah 53 spells out penal substitutionary atonement better than any passage in scripture.

Of course all of this was done within a covenant context. The Old Covenant sacrificial system symbolized the everlasting covenant between the Persons of the Godhead in behalf of the elect.

In Romans 8:28-37 no fallen creature has any part of the covenant obligations of this everlasting covenant but they are the objects, the recipients, not the participants "who....them he also."

In Ephesians 1:4-14 no fallen creature has nay part of the covenant obligations of redemption but they are the objects, the recipients, not the participants.

The idea of covenant participation of fallen sinners is the Old Covenant works covenant which cannot justify anyone.

Finally, the symbolism of the sacrifice demands that righteous demands of the law as well as the penal demands must be satisfied by Christ as "the lamb without spot or blemish" who died "for" our sins or in the place of the sinner under the wrath of God. - Thus penal substitutionary satisfaction of God's law.

 

Think of this! If there were no law there would be no sin and thus no cross. They are inseparably connected with one another. They stand and fall together! Paul explicitly states that the law reveals the righteousness of God (Rom. 3:21). When Christ was asked how one could inherit eternal life he pointed to the law and said "do this and thou shalt live" thus confirming it as God's standard of righteousness in addition to what reveals the knowledge of sin, as sin is "coming short" of that righteous standard. James said to fail in one point was to fail altogether, and thus the righteousness of the law is not to fail at any point.

Jesus told his disciples that righteousness to enter heaven must "exceed" that of the scribes and Pharisees (Mt. 5:20) and then proceeded to properly define the law so that law reflected the proper standard of righteousness equal to God's own (Mt. 5:48).

Therefore, the proper sacrifice must not merely suffer the JUST wrath of the law (aka wrath of God) signified by death in fire on a brass altar, but must be "without spot or blemish" in order to satisfy both the righteous standard and penalty of the Law. To claim the children of God were never subject to the wrath of God is anti-biblical as Paul explicitly states "we were CHILDREN OF WRATH EVEN AS OTHERS" (Eph. 2:2-3).

If God does not vindicate the penal consequences of violating His law and/or fails to demand the righteous standard of the law he ceases to have any right to be recognized as God. The cross is necessary to vindicate God to be God as sin is rebellion against Him as King over creation. Sin says you have no right to be God, and thus no right to rule over me. Sin declares self-rule and the most expressive form of self-rule is self-determinate law making. God must vindicate His law to vindicate Himself as final law maker. His wrath against sin declares Him so, and His standard of righteousness declares him so. This defines justification as satisfaction of both the penal and righteous demands of His law in the person of Christ. This is the presentation of Christ in the gospel which is the sole object of faith that obtains righteousness for his people.

 

Isa. 53: 4 ¶ Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 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.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 ¶ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul to death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Note it is God that smites him, that bruised him, that wounded him, that afflicted him, that cut him off and it was God that made "his soul an offering for sin."

He was wounded "for our" transgressions "for our" iniquities".

Note that God had to be "SATISFIED" and his satisfaction included both the Son as a "righteous servant" and sin bearer or bearing "their iniquities" (v. 11).

The issue here is "transgression" of the Law of God and its just penalty. Only one born under the Law and "righteous" in the sight of the law or a lamb "without spot or blemish" could pay for "our" transgressions. His righteousness was not "of the Law" but of His divine nature which the Law was designed to declare. The law declared him righteous, thus making him a fit substitute for sinners. His works did not attain righteousness but declared His righteousness as he challenged his audiences if they believed not his words then look at his works and challenged them to find sin in him.

His sufferings paid the equivalent of all the sins of the elect as his sufferings had to be infinite in value to do that. Jesus said of us that after we have done all that we are commanded to do we are still "unprofitable" servants. One profitable servant is worth more than any amount of unprofitable servants. The deity of Christ gives infinite value to the sacrifice of Christ, where his sinless humanity qualifies him to be a substitute.

 

It is quite true that the terms "substitutionary" and "penal" are not biblical terms but have originated from later times, but just like the term "trinity" they are correct terms to describe Biblical truth. To assume the doctrine is post-Biblical simply because the terminology is post-biblical does not work with the term "trinity" any more than it does with "substitutionary" and "penal."

 

Nu 16:46 And Moses said to Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly to the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

Sin, violation of God's law occurs first. The consequence is God's wrath. The sacrifice on the altar satisfies God's wrath against his people by turning that wrath symbolically upon a sinless substitute. The brass altar, the fire all represent God's wrath against sin taken out upon a sinless substitute.

So does God pour out His wrath upon an innocent person? YES, since according to the everlasting covenant the Second Person voluntarily obligated himself to be the LEGAL object of God's wrath in the LEGAL position of His covenant people. That commitment demonstrates his great love for his people.

 

Luke 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delays his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For to whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

This parable illustrates accountability according to the measure of guilt and is similar to other second coming literal statements that defines judgement "according to their works." This is just penal consequences. "Stripes" cannot be regarded than anything less than penal consequences. "many" versus "few" demands a just reward "according to their works."

 

PENAL SUBSTITUTION IS NOT ROMAN CATHOLIC PENANCE!

Roman Catholic Penance has to do with the sinner paying for his own sins with equivilent sufferings which ultimately is worked out in Catholic theology as purgatory. This is a works salvation view of atonement.

Penal substitution has to do with the Son of God satisfying the justice of God as defined by God's Law IN THE PLACE of His people. This is a grace salvation view of atonement that actually satisfies God's wrath and righteous demands.

 

In the law covenant God established the courtroom scenario within the nation of Israel. The words "law" "justify" and "justification" and "condemn" and "transgression" are all forensic terms in their biblical context. God portays himself as the ultimate judge in a courtroom scenario where His law is the standard of condemnation or justification (Rom. 2:6-11) as Paul actually uses the term "justify" within that courtroom setting based upon "doing" rather than just knowing the Law.

The reason the child of God does not enter into judgement is because his condemnation has been paid in full already by the substitutionary Lamb of God (Jn. 5:24) as the righteousness of the sinless lamb has been imputed to the sinner and Christ has been made sin having fully satisifed the penalty for sin on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). Just before the Lord gave up his spirit, he pronounced the payment "paid in full". Isaiah claims that Christ suffered under the hand of God until God was "satisfied" meaning his law had been satisfied. That "satisfaction" is what Christ referred to when he said "paid in full."