Featured In support of Penal Substitutionary Atonement

In these other threads I kept looking around for a good definition of penal substitution and was having a hard time finding one that was brief yet had aspects of the actual substitution and transfer and also tied it to Christ's priestly work and the connection to the Old Testament types. This is about the best I have seen so far. Thanks for putting that up, @atpollard .

 

Only two passages.
Matthew 20:28, ". . . Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. . . ."
And, Mark 10:45, ". . . For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. . . ."

. . . αντι . . . anti, in exchang, instead of.

 

Thank you.

"Thayer Definition:

1. over against, opposite to, before
2. for, instead of, in place of (something)
   1. instead of
   2. for
   3. for that, because
   4. wherefore, for this cause"

 

Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his great series of sermons on Romans (lasting, I believe, 11 years), gave two sermons on Romans 3:25. In the first, he gave an explanation of the word 'propitiation.' He defined the verse thus:

"This is a statement to the effect that God's wrath has been appeased and that God has been placated as the result of the work which our Lord did there by dying upon the cross.'

The following week he set out to answer the question, in what sense is the Lord Jesus Christ the propitiatory sacrifice? He examined several NT texts and then argued that the OT sacrificial system provides the crucial background, noting, as I have done repeatedly, that 1 Peter 2:24 refers back to Isaiah 53:4-6, and summarized as follows:

"That means that not only have the sins been laid upon Him, but that the wrath of God has been poured out upon Him. The punishment that should have come to you and to me on account of our sinfulness and our sins came to Him."

You can listen to the sermons in question at Free Sermon | Book of Romans | Chapter 1 | Page 1 of 2
or buy the books from Banner of Truth.

 

Before we assume PSA is true, lets back up and consider the basis of the theory.

From the OP, here is the definition provided:

In the simplest possible terms, the biblical doctrine of penal substitution holds that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross takes the place of the punishment we ought to suffer for our sins. As a result, God’s justice is satisfied, and those who accept Christ can be forgiven and reconciled to God.​

The first claim is that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross "takes the place" of the punishment others ought to suffer. So rather than providing the means of reconciliation from our sinful state of unholiness, Jesus's sacrifice actually removed the punishment due to some people. However, in the next sentence, reconciliation is placed in the future, as occurring not when He sacrificed. But then, two paragraphs later, once again Christ's sacrifice is said to have "propitiated" (past tense) God.

If God was propitiated, then those whose sin burden has been paid, were reconciled the instant God accepted His sacrifice, thus everyone to be reconciled, has already been reconciled. Clearly, that is false doctrine because we have the ministry of reconciliation, where we present the future opportunity of salvation.

 

Well here you are again for about the twentieth time.
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.

The definition is not my own. It comes from the book Pierced for our Transgressions by Jeffery, Ovey and Sach (IVP, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84474-178-4). The names may not be familiar to those from the USA. Mike Ovey, before his death 2 or 3 years ago, was Principal of Oak Hill Theological College in the UK and Steve Jeffery and Andrew Sach were two of his PhD students, Both are now in Christian ministry and Andrew Sach is increasingly in demand as a conference speaker.

The book itself is highly recommended (foreword by John Piper) and is the most complete work on Penal Substitution to have been published for many years.

 

One of the errors that opponents of the doctrine of Penal Substitution make is to assume that the Greek preposition huper must always mean 'on behalf of' rather than 'in the place of' or 'instead of.'
Of course this does not stand up, even in English.
If I write a letter for you or on your behalf, I write it; you don't. I write it instead of you.
If I pay a debt for you or on your behalf, I pay it; you don't. I pay it instead of you.
If I die for you or on your behalf, I die, you don't. I die instead of you or in your place..
And so on.

In the NT there is a very good example of huper meaning 'instead of' or 'in the place of.'
John 11:49-50. 'And one of them, Caiaphas being high priest that year, sdaid to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for [Gk. huper] the people and not that the whole nation should perish.'

In Caiaphas' mind, Christ dies for the people. He dies, they don't. He dies instead of them or in their place.

 

Anyone with 2 years of Greek study will agree. Words always have a range of meanings, and need to be interpreted in context.

 

Clearly you have never read it. It was not intended to be an academic book, but at 336 pages it is hardly superficial. Here are some endorsements to be found at the beginning of the book. I will give only U.S. ones rather than British. Note how often the word 'comprehensive' is mentioned.

1. The treatment of the biblical material is in itself worth the price of the book. A model of biblical theological exposition. They expound the weightiest texts so concisely and so clearly - as they argue for the rugged truth about the rugged cross.
Dale Ralph Davies

2. The Bible historically has been understood to teach explicitly and implicitly that Christ died as a penal substitute for sinners. That's what this excellent volume teaches us too. Carefully studying the primary biblical texts and then answering numerous objections, this book explains and defends the understanding that Christ died in our place, taking our penalty for us. From the biblical material to patristic quotations, from pastoral implications to present objections, this book is a responsible and comprehensive introduction. All the authors' careful work promises to make this book the new standard text on Christ's atoning work. Now I can't wait to read it again, devotionally.
Mark Dever

3. Agreement on the nature of the atonement has long been a defining feature of classical Christianity. Today, however, all is in crisis. For some time the writings of a number of scholars reared in evangelicalism have eroded, even denied, that the heart of the Gospel is to be found in Christ's penal, substitutionary death. and his glorious resurrection. But now - inevitably - this view has begun to appear in books written by popular authors who are viewed as contemporary, cutting=edge leaders.
Sadly, nuch that is said and written unwittingly repeats what was long ago rejected as unorthodox. In the past, those views irrevocably led - within a generation - to a rejection of evangelical faith; unchecked, they will inevitably do so again. The stakes could scarcely be higher - the very nature of the Gospel itself. Pierced for our Transgressions is a courageous , timely comprehensive and welcome study. It is biblically sensitive and pastorally astute, with the added strength of being aware of where similar false steps in the past eventually led. Here is a sure-footed guide to the message of the cross - and therefore to Christ Himself, and ultimately to God the Trinity. It deserves widespread and careful reading.
Sinclair Ferguson (at that time a Pastor in South Carolina)

4. This is certainly one of the most comprehensive treatments available of the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. It presents exegesis, historical theology and responses to contemporary debate, al in one volume. In all these areas, the book is excellent, both in its exposition and its argument. It presents a cogent defence of the biblical and historic church doctrine, and in my view it devastates the criticisms of this position. The writing is clear and understandable to non-specialists, but its authors fully understand the technical issues, so that the book makes a real contribution to the academic discussion as well. I am delighted to see the book appear, and hope that it gets a very wide readership.
John Frame

5. The doctrine of the penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ can be abandoned only by eviscerating the soteriological heart of historic Christianity. This teaching has deep roots in both the Catholic and Protestant theological traditions and deserves to be taken seriously in the church's proclamation of the doctrine of reconciliation today. This is an important scholarly contribution to a current doctrinal debate with enormous spiritual; and pastoral implications.
Timothy George

6. A well-thumbed copy of Pierced for our Transgressions ought to rest upon the bookshelf of every thoughtful Christian. This even-handed, masterful defence of PSA is clear and convincing. Readers will quickly grasp the theology and the urgency of the issues, and will be especially grateful for the classic objection-response format of Part Two, which makes for easy reference. A crucial read.
R. Kent Hughes

7. Pierced for our Transgressions is a treasure trove of information and analysis on the important, yet disputed doctrine of penal substitution As a biblical scholar, I enthusiastically commend the authors for their careful exegesis of the biblical text. From this point on, critics of the biblical teaching must interact with the arguments of this book. Further, every Christian, whether aware of the debate or not, can greatly benefit from this comprehensive and penetrating treatment of this crucial doctrine.
Trumper Longman III.

Several more to come.

 

I don't mind Jon bringing up a subject like this because if I get interested it causes me to dig a little for information in order to be somewhat informed. But in this area, because I don't have any Greek, when I get to the level of papers done by what look like seminary level folks I am quickly in over my head and frankly, find this subject a little disconcerting.
Martin just put this up and I'll get a copy of that book because it keeps coming up in my looking around the web.

I have been reading B.B Warfield on this and find it helpful because he sheds some light on the current (for him at the time) things that were going on. I did not realize that this has become an issue nowadays. I guess I'm a little sheltered but I had always sort of assumed that looking at Christ's shed blood as the means for our salvation was a given in orthodox Christian minds.