He was made poor that we might be made rich in Him. The Son of God was led away captive that we might be set free: “If you seek me, then let these go their way” (John 18:8). He could not save Himself because He came to save others (Matthew 27:42). He was despised as a criminal that we might be received as sons. Our Redeemer was bound and gave Himself a ransom to God for us that we might be freed as the redeemed sons of God. He was taken by soldiers from prison, to judgment and then to death that we might not be left in prison and taken to death by God’s law. He was condemned to death that we might be justified to eternal life. He took our infirmities that we might be healed from our sin. "He gave His back to the smiters and to them that pluck off the hair; He did not hide His face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). This He did that we might be caressed in the embrace of His eternal arms of full acceptance, with words of eternal life in the assurance of His eternal love: “His left hand is under my head, and His right arm doth embrace me” (Song 2:6). He drank the dregs of the wrath of God dry that we might drink the cup of blessing in abundance. His broken body is our Bread of Life. "He was made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was forsaken by God to bring us to God: “He died the Just for the unjust to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). It was expedient that one man, Christ, should die for God’s elect people, that the whole of Adam’s race perish not (John 11:50). “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24)
“Deity was arrested that guilty sinners might never be arrested by God’s law! Christ our Sacrifice was bound to the altar with cords, pinioned and manacled by cords of divine justice as a common malefactor, that common malefactors might never be!”
-- Don Fortner
“The Good Shepherd for the straying sheep was offered.
The slave has sinned, but the Son has suffered.
While we nothing heeded, Christ, the God-man, interceded.”
-- modified from the hymn, “Ah, Dearest Jesus"
The scriptural doctrine of substitution is that God made Christ sin for His chosen people that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him. They were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. He was made their Surety. All that God required of them, He looked to Christ to receive, and received it from Christ for them. Having been made sin, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered under the just wrath of God due to us for our sins. Having fulfilled the will of God, His obedience is our righteousness.
Our sins became His. He suffered for them in His body and in His soul as a sinner under the curse of God (Isaiah 53:10; Matthew 26:38). His people's sins were charged to Him -- transferred to Him by imputation. Our Surety accepted charge. What God imputes is the truth of the way things really are. For their sins, Christ became guilty. He owned them as His. He knew their shame. He felt their defilement. He knew and felt God’s loathing of sin in His own person. He did not suffer for sin in general or for an indefinite number of unnamed people. He suffered for specific sins of particular people whose names were written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. His death made satisfaction to God for the sins of His people, His sheep, the church, His brethren, His friends. He suffered and died in our place.
He did the will of God. He accomplished atonement. He rose again. His righteousness was credited to us (Jeremiah 23:5-6). (What God counts as true is the truth of the way things really are -- Romans 6:11.) We are justified in Him (Isaiah 45:25). He is our life (Romans 4:25; Colossians 3:4). God received Him. Receiving Him, He received us in Him (Philemon 1:12,17). He propitiated God -- He appeased His wrath by satisfaction to His justice. He established everlasting righteousness in His obedience unto death. He reconciled us to God by His death. He made us acceptable to God, in Himself, the Beloved, with His church, His Bride, the apple of His eye (Ephesians 1:6; 5:25-ff; Zechariah 2:8). Nothing more can possibly be added to the perfection Christ’s people were made by His obedience unto death. As a result, God will most assuredly pour out on His people all the blessings He determined to give them before the world began in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:32).
The Spirit of God gives faith in Christ to every chosen sinner for whom Christ died. Faith in Christ is His chief work (John 3:14-15; 6:29; 6:63; 16:14-15; Ephesians 2:8-9) He puts the gospel in our hearts and minds. He makes Christ known to us in the gospel (2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:6; John 16:14-15; Colossians 1:27). The Spirit of Christ -- the Spirit of God -- in us conforms us to Christ's image as we behold His glory in the gospel (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29). The just live by faith. The look of faith is the work of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. All who believe Christ are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39)
Psalm 31:9-10; Psalm 35:5,10; Psalm 37:11; Song of Solomon 2:16 Matthew 25:19; 27:42; Romans 5:17; Psalm 38:1-14; 40:6-12; Isaiah 53:3, 4, 8; Isaiah 50:6; Jeremiah 33:6; Jeremiah 29:11; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 27:46; John 18:8; John 11:50; Romans 4:25; Romans 5:6-21; Romans 15:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 3:4; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 3:18; Revelation 13:8.
“Deity was arrested that guilty sinners might never be arrested by God’s law! Christ our Sacrifice was bound to the altar with cords, pinioned and manacled by cords of divine justice as a common malefactor, that common malefactors might never be!”
-- Don Fortner
“The Good Shepherd for the straying sheep was offered.
The slave has sinned, but the Son has suffered.
While we nothing heeded, Christ, the God-man, interceded.”
-- modified from the hymn, “Ah, Dearest Jesus"
The scriptural doctrine of substitution is that God made Christ sin for His chosen people that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him. They were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. He was made their Surety. All that God required of them, He looked to Christ to receive, and received it from Christ for them. Having been made sin, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered under the just wrath of God due to us for our sins. Having fulfilled the will of God, His obedience is our righteousness.
Our sins became His. He suffered for them in His body and in His soul as a sinner under the curse of God (Isaiah 53:10; Matthew 26:38). His people's sins were charged to Him -- transferred to Him by imputation. Our Surety accepted charge. What God imputes is the truth of the way things really are. For their sins, Christ became guilty. He owned them as His. He knew their shame. He felt their defilement. He knew and felt God’s loathing of sin in His own person. He did not suffer for sin in general or for an indefinite number of unnamed people. He suffered for specific sins of particular people whose names were written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. His death made satisfaction to God for the sins of His people, His sheep, the church, His brethren, His friends. He suffered and died in our place.
He did the will of God. He accomplished atonement. He rose again. His righteousness was credited to us (Jeremiah 23:5-6). (What God counts as true is the truth of the way things really are -- Romans 6:11.) We are justified in Him (Isaiah 45:25). He is our life (Romans 4:25; Colossians 3:4). God received Him. Receiving Him, He received us in Him (Philemon 1:12,17). He propitiated God -- He appeased His wrath by satisfaction to His justice. He established everlasting righteousness in His obedience unto death. He reconciled us to God by His death. He made us acceptable to God, in Himself, the Beloved, with His church, His Bride, the apple of His eye (Ephesians 1:6; 5:25-ff; Zechariah 2:8). Nothing more can possibly be added to the perfection Christ’s people were made by His obedience unto death. As a result, God will most assuredly pour out on His people all the blessings He determined to give them before the world began in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:32).
The Spirit of God gives faith in Christ to every chosen sinner for whom Christ died. Faith in Christ is His chief work (John 3:14-15; 6:29; 6:63; 16:14-15; Ephesians 2:8-9) He puts the gospel in our hearts and minds. He makes Christ known to us in the gospel (2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:6; John 16:14-15; Colossians 1:27). The Spirit of Christ -- the Spirit of God -- in us conforms us to Christ's image as we behold His glory in the gospel (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29). The just live by faith. The look of faith is the work of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. All who believe Christ are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39)
Psalm 31:9-10; Psalm 35:5,10; Psalm 37:11; Song of Solomon 2:16 Matthew 25:19; 27:42; Romans 5:17; Psalm 38:1-14; 40:6-12; Isaiah 53:3, 4, 8; Isaiah 50:6; Jeremiah 33:6; Jeremiah 29:11; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 27:46; John 18:8; John 11:50; Romans 4:25; Romans 5:6-21; Romans 15:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 3:4; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 3:18; Revelation 13:8.
-- Rick Warta
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