Substitutionary Atonement
If you have made it this far, then you must believe that there is one knowable God who has given us His divine revelation in the 66 books of the Bible, wherein we find that we do not meet God’s expectations, which therefore results in eternal damnation.
The bottom line is that there are consequences for crime, a punishment for sin, and we are all guilty. The law and its repercussions weigh heavily on those who believe that both are truly from God.
God wants to forgive man, but he is also just and righteous. He must be fair and honest. He must maintain the law or it has no validity. This is no where more evident than with the very first sin. When Adam and Eve sinned God was faced with that divine dilemma: to condemn or to forgive, to be just or to be loving.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit immediately the physical consequences started taking shape. Their eyes were opened and they felt for the first time shame and fear. They tried to remedy some of the effects by making clothing out of leaves. Later God came down to the Garden of Eden to commune with them, but found them hiding. God told them that their sin would result in more than just the shame they were experiencing. Then He did something truly amazing. He replaced their efforts to sooth themselves with clothing which He made from the skin of an animal. Revelation seems to indicate that that animal was a lamb, and not just any lamb, but the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” – Revelation 13:8
God looked at the sin of man and decided to step in. He offered an exchange, a substitute. Not just any substitute; but a divine, holy, sinless, perfect, and completely innocent one. The debt had to be paid, but could not be paid by someone else who was already indebted to God.
Substitute
When you are given a fine, the court doesn’t really care where the money comes from. It doesn’t have to be from the hours you have labored, or the sweat of your own brow. Your grandma can pay your fine. A substitute is accepted. The court doesn’t really care where the guilty got the funds, they just care that the fine is paid; the law has been upheld.
The Cross
This is beautifully displayed when the time of Christ’s crucifixion came. There was one man sitting in prison. He had prepared his mind. He had already settled on his fate, it was death by crucifixion. He knew the possibilities before he committed the crime. He knew he was guilty, and he knew that day he would die.
However at the same time in a garden nearby, another man was preparing His mind. He was getting ready to take the cross from the guilty man. The innocent took the punishment from the guilty and the guilty went free. There was a substitute.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5
The law brought us to our knees in desperation, knowing that we could not save ourselves. We are in need of a Savior. And the only qualified Savior is Christ.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” – 1 Peter 2:24
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” – 1 Peter 3:18
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8
Do you believe that Jesus Christ died in your place and took your sins upon Him?
Substitutionary Atonement
If you have made it this far, then you must believe that there is one knowable God who has given us His divine revelation in the 66 books of the Bible, wherein we find that we do not meet God’s expectations, which therefore results in eternal damnation.
The bottom line is that there are consequences for crime, a punishment for sin, and we are all guilty. The law and its repercussions weigh heavily on those who believe that both are truly from God.
God wants to forgive man, but he is also just and righteous. He must be fair and honest. He must maintain the law or it has no validity. This is no where more evident than with the very first sin. When Adam and Eve sinned God was faced with that divine dilemma: to condemn or to forgive, to be just or to be loving.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit immediately the physical consequences started taking shape. Their eyes were opened and they felt for the first time shame and fear. They tried to remedy some of the effects by making clothing out of leaves. Later God came down to the Garden of Eden to commune with them, but found them hiding. God told them that their sin would result in more than just the shame they were experiencing. Then He did something truly amazing. He replaced their efforts to sooth themselves with clothing which He made from the skin of an animal. Revelation seems to indicate that that animal was a lamb, and not just any lamb, but the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” – Revelation 13:8
God looked at the sin of man and decided to step in. He offered an exchange, a substitute. Not just any substitute; but a divine, holy, sinless, perfect, and completely innocent one. The debt had to be paid, but could not be paid by someone else who was already indebted to God.
Substitute
When you are given a fine, the court doesn’t really care where the money comes from. It doesn’t have to be from the hours you have labored, or the sweat of your own brow. Your grandma can pay your fine. A substitute is accepted. The court doesn’t really care where the guilty got the funds, they just care that the fine is paid; the law has been upheld.
The Cross
This is beautifully displayed when the time of Christ’s crucifixion came. There was one man sitting in prison. He had prepared his mind. He had already settled on his fate, it was death by crucifixion. He knew the possibilities before he committed the crime. He knew he was guilty, and he knew that day he would die.
However at the same time in a garden nearby, another man was preparing His mind. He was getting ready to take the cross from the guilty man. The innocent took the punishment from the guilty and the guilty went free. There was a substitute.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5
The law brought us to our knees in desperation, knowing that we could not save ourselves. We are in need of a Savior. And the only qualified Savior is Christ.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” – 1 Peter 2:24
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” – 1 Peter 3:18
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8
Do you believe that Jesus Christ died in your place and took your sins upon Him?
