Penal Substitution ( or Vicarious Atonement) is a theological doctrine within Christianity with the viewpoint that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross takes the place of the punishment that is due to sinners for their transgressions against God. As a result, God’s wrath is propitiated (fully satisfied), and those who accept Christ can be forgiven and reconciled to God.
It is “penal” in that Christ suffered the penalty of the Law, by taking the “punishment” for transgressions against the Law. It was substitutionary (or vicarious) in that Christ took our place on the cross when He bore our sins (1 Pet. 2:24) and became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). So, penal substitution is the act of a person (Jesus Christ) taking the punishment for someone else’s (man) transgressions.
According to the doctrine of penal substitution, humanity is depraved to such an extent that it is spiritually dead (Eph 2:1) and it is incapable of atoning for sin in any way, as a result, humanity has been judged guilty and unrighteous (Rom 3:11) before the Judgment Seat of God, hereby receiving a verdict of eternal sentence in hell. Only Jesus’ sacrifice serves as a substitute for anyone who accepts it. In a very direct sense, Jesus is exchanged for us as the recipient of sin’s penalty.
The work of atonement is carried through from start to finish by God Himself as the effective agent. It is above all a movement of God to man rather than a movement of man to God.
The word propitiation (Rom 3:25) appropriately signifies the removal of wrath by the offering of a sacrificial gift. The wrath of God is a punishment due upon the sinner as a legal requirement, since the sinner is someone who has broken the law of God. Jesus is our propitiation who turns away the lawful wrath of God since the law of God must be fulfilled and cannot be ignored. Jesus is the one who fulfilled the law and never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22). But, he bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21) thereby suffering the penalty of sin, which is death.
We can only pay the price of sin on our own by being punished and placed in hell for all eternity. But God’s Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth to pay for the price of our sins. Because He did this for us, we now have the opportunity to not only have our sins forgiven, but to spend eternity with Him. In order to do this we must place our faith in what Christ did on the cross. We cannot save ourselves; we need a substitute to take our place. The death of Jesus Christ is the substitutionary atonement.
Grace & Peace
There are many great resources to read for further understanding on the wonderful and loving work that was done on the rugged Cross of Jesus Christ. My favourites so far are:
1. The Cross of Christ – John Stott (very big volume that has been a classic for 3 decades. I got the audiobook. Hehehehe)
2. Scandalous – D.A. Carson (small volume that won’t take long to read, recommend as a starter)
3. Pierced for Our Transgressions – Steve Jeffery, Mike Ovey (currently reading this. Very rich in its exegesis of scripture)
The Lord's Vision 