Chapter 24
Good Monday Morning to this week 24 of 2022
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5.8
A little bit of theology, along with a few questions this morning!
The technical, theological name for this belief is “penal substitutionary atonement.” This theology was not part of Christian doctrine for the first 1,600 years after Jesus was crucified. Penal substitution derives from the idea that divine forgiveness must satisfy divine justice, that is, that God is not willing or able to simply forgive sin without first requiring a satisfaction for it.
Picking up a long and old discussion …
Was the death of Jesus a substitute or penalty because of our sins.? Did His death scrub us clean of the sins we would commit in the future, or give us a “free for all” pass to do whatever we wanted? Is His death an excuse for our sins, which this theology alludes to?
A few questions and points to this:
Dying for our sins is not the same thing as dying to pay the penalty for our sins. If an innocent person dies because of another person’s wrongdoing, the person who did wrong is still guilty. Whenever the Bible talks about penalties, it always attaches them to the one who committed the offense. We are still held responsible for the sins we commit. In the end, each of us will have to pay for our deeds and there is no way around that. Are responsible for the totality of our actions?
When we look at the world now, we can tell that it has yet to be saved. There is still so much evil and hurt in this world and it’s easy to see simply by watching the news. Dying on the cross did not save us from the darkness of today’s society, and those who choose not to believe in Jesus and commit sins freely will answer for their actions. Jesus didn’t take the sins on Himself to set each of us free. It was only to open a pathway for us to forgive?
Megan Bailey continues with her explanations
As John 15:13 states, however, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus died on the cross to show us what love truly looks like in action.
God is love, and the most important lesson that Jesus teaches us is that when we act in unloving ways, we distance ourselves from God. When asking yourself if something you do would be considered a sin, you should ask yourself if the action comes from a place of love. If it doesn’t, then it’s pulling you further away from living like Jesus.
Jesus dying on the cross was a sacrifice He made for us. His doing so gave us the opportunity to ask forgiveness for our sins and enter into heaven once we had passed. We only have a pathway to heaven because of the loving sacrifice that Jesus made for the world.
NT Wright takes a walk with or alongside this theology. He encourages readers to broaden their view of the atonement to include other themes and not to emphasize solely penal substitution. In typical Wright fashion, he illustrates this with a musical reference: “Substitutionary atonement is a vital element in the gospel. Miss it out, and the music of the gospel is no longer what it should be. But if you only play that note you are in danger of setting up a different harmony altogether.”
Wright believes that the center of the atonement lies in the Christus Victor theme that explains the cross as the moment of “decisive victory over the ‘principalities and powers.” He believes we should give priority (though a priority “among equals”) to this understanding of the atonement while ensuring we do not lose the many other expressions of the atonement. As the story of the exodus is the story of how God redeemed Israel, so the story of the cross is the story of how God redeemed the world through Israel in person, in Jesus, the Messiah.
On the cross, Jesus took on himself that separation from God which all other men know. He did not deserve it; he had done nothing to warrant being cut off from God; but as he identified himself totally with sinful humanity, the punishment which that sinful humanity deserved was laid fairly and squarely on his shoulders… That is why he shrank, in Gethsemane, from drinking the ‘cup’ offered to him. He knew it to be the cup of God’s wrath. On the cross, Jesus drank that cup to the dregs, so that his sinful people might not drink it. He drank it to the dregs. He finished it, finished the bitter cup both physically and spiritually. After being finished – Salvation was accomplished.
Jesus did die to save us from our sins but was it a moment that wiped us clean from all responsibility? Yes, Jesus’ death showed us just how amazing God’s love is for us and give us an opportunity to escape the evils of the world to be reunited with our Father in heaven! Jesus’ death paved an unprecedented avenue for us.
Wishing you a good start to this week as you ponder the works, life, and love of Jesus.
Philemon