What Does Substitutionary Atonement Mean?

Why Was It Necessary for Jesus to Die for Our Sins?

The reason Jesus had to die for our sins relates to substitutionary atonement and penal atonement. From the very beginning, the price of sin was always death. In the garden, God told Adam the day you eat of the fruit, you will die (Gen. 2:17). We know the death Adam experienced was not physical immediately, but spiritual in that he was separated from God. In the moments after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God made a sacrifice to cover their sin.

“And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife” (Genesis 3:21).

To make a garment from the skin of an animal means you must remove that skin from the animal. Therefore, in making those garments to cover their nakedness, God had to sacrifice that animal. This was the price that had to be paid to cover their sin, and this was the establishment of this principle, which was further expounded in the law. 

When God established the law, it was again the sacrifice of animals through the shedding of blood that covered sin. However, these sacrifices were not permanent, they were only temporary. What would be required to deal with the sin problem once and for all would be a sacrifice that would be perfect, that would shed blood and that would meet the requirements of God’s justice, provide forgiveness, and remove the penalty of sin forever. Jesus accomplished this all when he came, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead.

If you want a complete understanding of what the sacrifice of Jesus and his shed blood means for you, I will direct you to read Hebrews 9 and 10. Here are a few verses to help highlight the importance of Jesus’ sacrifice.

“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:12-14).

“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).

Is There Anything We Must Do to Be Saved?

The beauty of salvation is that it does not require effort to obtain it. If it did, we would all be hopeless because, despite our best efforts, we cannot live up to the perfect standard God has established. However, because Jesus has met the standard – including the penalty of death that comes with sin – we now have an eternal hope of salvation.

Salvation comes by only one means, and that is by placing your complete faith and trust in this finished work of Jesus Christ. You must acknowledge him as Savior and Lord and recognize what he did is everything you need for your salvation. As the old expression goes, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone.

Conclusion 

This was our life before Christ. You and I were sinners. We deserved death as the punishment for our sin. We were not worthy or deserving of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. However, from this place of being undeserving, God made a way for our forgiveness and redemption. He did this by placing our sins on Jesus, and when we place our faith in him, we receive his righteousness. Christ became our substitute in death so that we could receive eternal life.

The entire message of the gospel and substitutionary atonement is that Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves. When you fully grasp that, then you will understand why the gospel is really good news. 

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.