Penal Substution

Isaiah 53:4-6

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5  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.

6  All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 53:4–6.

English Standard Version Chapter 53

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

A Tale of Two Cities

It is a far, far better thing that I do, then I have ever done; it is a far, far, better rest that I go to than I have every known. --

This is one of the last lines in a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It is a story about two cities and two men. The cities are London and Paris. Two large cities. A like a many ways yet totally different. The Two men are Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. These two men who look very similar, enough for mistaken identity, have every different character traits.

Charles Darnay has many good qualities about him. He is honest, he resents how the lower classes are being extorted and kept in extreme property by those in power or the aristocrats. He is in no way like his uncle the Marquis St. Evremonde. His uncle, a aristo, has no respect, no need for those in property. Charles abandons this family because of his uncles actions and flees to London where he works as a teacher of the French language and French literature.

Sydney Carton on the other hand is a man with character traits that are opposite of Charles Darnay. Carton is young, sloppy drunk yet student of the law. He is partners with C.J. Stryner who is his partner in their law firm and meet Darnay in a case were Carton’s client, Darnay, is being tried for treason. After the trail is won by the team of Stryner and Carton by a tactic that uses another thing the two character has in common. Their looks. Carton admits that he both likes and hates his client, Darnay. Darnay reminds him of everything that he should be but of course is not. Carton thinks so low of himself that he says to Darnay, “I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I can for no man on earth and no man of earth cares for me.” Yet the two mem could almost pass for twins expect for one is of English birth while the other is French. The other thing that these men have in common is the love of a curtain young lady, Lucie Manette.

As the story progress, Charles Darnay’s uncle dies and Darnay is called back to France. While in France and with the French Revolution rage on, Darnay is denounced as an Aristo which means the guillotine for Darnay and a life as a widow for his new wife Lucie.

Fortunately for Darnay, Sydney Carton is still in love with his wife and decided to show is love for her by dying in Darnay’s place. And it is one the way to Madame Gullotine’s deadly bed that Sydney Carton says, the words that are now immortalized. “It is a far, far better thing that I do, then I have ever done; it is a far, far, better rest that I go to than I have every known.”

The Tale of Two Cities and the story of Carton an Darnay helps us to understand our topic today:

Penal Substitution

Who Taught Penal Substitution?

This question is not as easy to answer as the other theories on the atonement. Of course, we can go back at least as far as the Reformation with Martin Luther and John Calvin. But there doesn’t seem to be one person that really put this theory on the proverbial map unless of course you take the Apostle Paul’s teaching.

In my opinion, just because we can narrow it down to one person starting or popularizing the idea does not mean that it was not taught. Although, it does seem that the church did not emphasize this teaching. Why? I can only come up with one reason. Power. In Catholic theology that priest is the one that you go before to repent of your sins and they have the power to forgive you or to not forgive you. That is a lot of power for a group of people to give up. The power to make some one think that they might go to hell if they don’t what they are told. We can see this in the Reformation issue of indulgences. An indulgence was a way for you to give to the church with the promise that you or your loved one would get out of preparatory sooner or if you gave enough you might not have to go at all.

The clergy of the day took advantage of this teaching to raise enough money to build St. Peter’s Basilica. In fact, there was a little chant that was done.

“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” The man that popularized this phrase was John Tetzel, and his message was that the purchase of indulgences from the Pope held as much power for forgiving sin, as did Jesus dying on the cross!

My question, “Is there people that still think that this can be done?” Can you buy your way into heaven? If I give enough to the church, then I know I will go to heaven? Luther was enraged over this teaching. Why? He was afraid that true repentance would take a beat seat to indulgence because now people could buy their way out of purgatory without the need of turning to Jesus and repenting of this sins.

What Does Penal Substitution mean?

“In our place, instead of us.” Simon Gathercole -

The theory goes like this basically… We have all sinned. Therefore, we are all guilty and there is a punishment that has to happen. That punishment is an eternity without God or hell. God who is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance decided that he would come and pay the price so that they punishment would not have to be preform on beings.

Why does Penal Substitution matter to us, today?

As Christian we don’t have to worry about our eternal destiny. We can know that we are going to heaven because paid the price that the penalty required, death. That priced that Jesus paid is accredited to our overdue account and we stand in God’s presence just as if we had never sinned or justification or justified. Jesus went to the cross in our placed, instead of Jesus.

We give to give and not to receive.

In the Christian faith we give out of a sense of Love. Love for the church. The love of God and of course for the Love of People. We don’t have to give in order to get. Paul tells us that we are saved by grace and not of works lest anyone should boast. Therefore, no matter how much you put into the offering plate, that won’t save you. No matter how much or how little you do for the church that will not save you. No matter how many people you feed or homeless you house that will not save you. Only Jesus Christ can save you! We do the other things; giving our money, working for the church, and feed the homeless, and all the other good work in order to show our love for Christ. When we do these things out of love for God it reflects the character of God. We are showing others that we are related to our Father in Heaven because we are doing the works he would do if we he were here.

Reminds Us What True Love Will Do?

No greater love can one person show another is to lay down their lives for another. In fact, when someone does this we will usually can them a hero!

Jesus Christ is our hero. He has died and been risen from the grave in order that you might repent of your sins and have a right relationship with God.