A Christian evangelist told the story how he also got in trouble at school to help illustrate Penal Substitution. He and his three friends decided to play a prank that went too far. The principal called all four of them and was going to punish the one who thought of the prank. The evangelist was about to confess when his three friends stood up and took the heat for him. He and his three friends got off the hook with onw punishment.
To my amazement, he told the people listening to him that is how Jesus became our substitute. Really? Is that what the Bible says about the finished work of Christ? The Bible says, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21) and But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)The Bible tells me that Jesus was my substitute by taking upon my sin and the punishment that comes with. He did not just get a pat on the back by living a perfect life, he got beaten, betrayed, crucified, and suffered the wrath of God on the cross. The evangelist's friends were substitutes for him, suffered no punishment on his behalf.
William P Farley in his book, Gospel-Powered Humility addresses Penal Substitution:
Substitution refers to our union with Christ. Jesus came to earth as a substitute for all who believe the gospel. He lived a perfect life for us. When we believe, God unites us with him and imputes his perfection to us.
Penal refers to the idea that because of this union, Jesus was able to take the penalty that we deserve. Not only is Christ's righteousness imputed to us, but our sins are imputed to Christ...the penalty that our sin deserves is the wrath of God. So Jesus suffered the wrath of God in our place...On the cross, God's Son bore the demands of God's justice in our place
If the evangelist said his three friends were punished in his place for the prank, that would be a great illustration of Penal Substitution because Jesus took the punishment for our sins as our substitute. Since it did not, it gave people the wrong idea of what Penal Substitution truly is. As Pastors and teachers, we need to communicate the truths of the gospel without watering it down because people may not get it.
Recommend Reading:
The Great Exchange by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington
In My Place He Stood Condemned by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever
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