Jesus’ Substitutionary Death

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God

2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)

We must recognized the importance of substitutionary atonement. This act is what Christ did with His death on the cross. The Bible teaches that Jesus served as a substitute for sinners by dying on the cross. The understanding of this role of Christ is critical to understanding the significance of the work of atonement Christ completed and the gift of salvation offered to us.

THE DEATH DESERVED

Romans 6:23 declares that the “wages of sin is death.” This truth reveals that the consequence of sin is death because the death penalty arises from the presence of sin. Since Romans 3:23 proclaims, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and Romans 3:10 states, “There is no one righteous, not even one,” we must understand that everyone deserves death because of sin. Likewise, we have no means within ourselves to escape this punishment. We truly are dead people walking.

JESUS’ ACT OF SUBSTITUTION

The Bible teaches that God “made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us,” as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Peter affirmed this by writing, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). Christ, the perfect, sinless, unblemished Lamb of God, took on our sin and became the necessary substitute who paid the ultimate penalty for sin, allowing a way for forgiveness and reconciliation to be established.

JESUS’ OFFER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The act of substitution occurred for the purpose of atonement. Atonement signifies that Jesus' death on the cross paved a way for reconciliation between humanity and God. It acknowledges the issue of sin and the need for its repair. Jesus offers righteousness to the unrighteous, life to those who deserve death, and reconciliation to those separated from the Lord. He alone provides this because He served as the ultimate, eternal, and necessary sacrificial Lamb of God, fulfilling the role of needed substitution.

QUESTIONS

1. Why is it important to understand our sinful state to fully understand Christ’s work in substitutionary atonement?

2. Can you think of a way to explain substitutionary atonement to someone who has never heard of Jesus?