Sermon Text: Genesis 22:9-14
Sermon Title: The Practical Significance of Penal-Substitutionary Atonement
Scripture Reading: Luke 22:39-46
The Importance of Penal-Substitutionary Atonement
What is it?
“For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
If I were go to your house and break your china, you may tell me that you forgive me, but in doing so you had to absorb the cost of the broken china. Someone has to pay for the broken china, either me or you, if you forgive me. The cost does not just go into oblivion. Likewise God does not wave his hands over sin when He forgave it; He must Himself absorb the full cost of the injustice done. - Monergism.com
The view of Christ’s death presented here has frequently been called the theory of “penal substitution.” Christ’s death was “penal” in that he bore a penalty when he died. His death was also a “substitution” in that He was a substitute for us when he died. This has been the orthodox understanding of the atonement held by evangelical theologians, in contrast to other views that attempt to explain the atonement part from the idea of the wrath of God or payment of the penalty for sin. This view of the atonement is sometimes called the theory of vicarious atonement. A “vicar” is someone who stands in the place of another or who represents another. Christ’s death was therefore “vicarious” because he stood in our place and represented us. As our representative, he took the sin penalty that we deserve. - Wayne Grudem from Systematic Theology
Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Sin is always committed by a person. Sin cannot remain vague or abstract. Sin is always specific.
Illustrate: We wrongly have an “open tab” thinking about atonement. God is so wealthy with mercy and Christ blood was shed arbitrarily so that in the end, my sin is covered. This is terribly wrong thinking.
“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will’” (Matthew 26:39).
“Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done’” (Matthew 26:42).
In the Old Testament the cup normally signifies the outpouring of God’s wrath (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jeremiah 25:15, 16). – Reformation Study Bible notes under Matthew 20:23
Every specific sin of those who belong to Christ was paid for. In the cup of God’s wrath are specifics, not generalities. Christ didn’t satisfy God’s wrath for “sin.” Christ satisfied God’s wrath specifically for the second glance, the one glass of wine too many, the selfishly motivated act of service, the glory you stole from the compliment, for leaving your check face up in the offering plate to be praised by man, etc.
The death of Christ on the cross, it was a bitter death, a sorrowful death, a bloody death. The bitter thoughts of His sufferings put Him into a most dreadful agony. The things that our Savior strove against were not only the terror of death, as other men are wont to do – for then many Christians and martyrs might have seemed more constant and courageous than He – but the terrible justice of God, pouring out His high anger and indignation upon Him on the account of all the sins of His chosen that were laid upon Him, than which nothing could be more dreadful. - Thomas Brooks
Excerpts from Jonathan Edwards’ 29-page Sermon Christ’s Agony (Luke 22:44):
- The cause of Christ’s agony and prayer of apprehension was the subject of each of the three prayers “the cup.” Elsewhere we are told He was sorrowful and very heavy (Matthew 26:37) and sore amazed and very heavy (Mark 14:33).
- Why was it needful that he should have a more full and extraordinary view of the cup that he was to drink a little before he drank it than he ever had before? Christ was going to be cast into a dreadful furnace of wrath, and it was not proper that he should plunge himself into it blindfold, as not knowing how dreadful the furnace was. Christ could not voluntarily bear it for sinners if He did not know first what it was. Then he acted knowing what he did; then His taking the cup and bearing such dreadful sufferings, was properly his own act by an explicit choice and so His love to sinners, in that choice of His, was more the wonderful, as also His obedience to God in it.
Why Does it Matter??
3 Ways the Gospel is not only the “way in” but proves to be the “way how.”
In Motivation
- “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
- “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).
- “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).
The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.
The God of the Bible is infinitely Holy and infinitely loving and that is why grace is so costly and costly grace is ravishing and moving. He is so Holy He couldn't just shrug evil off and so loving that He couldn’t just punish us for it. Not until you are humbled down into the dust because He is so Holy that He had to die for you and not until you are affirmed into the sky because He loves you so much that He was glad to die for you WILL you be humbled out of the pride that makes you down on other people and affirmed out of the self-hatred that causes you to look down on yourself. From this restructured identity comes freedom. The Gospel gives freedom from pride when you obey and self-hatred when you sin. Change truly happens when the Gospel is intellectually coherent and existentially melting to you heart. That comes only when you see the costly substitutionary death of Christ. ― Timothy Keller
Talk about Edwards and honey being intellectually sweet and tasting sweet experientially.
"Without the gospel we hate ourselves instead of our sin. Without the gospel we’re motivated through all sorts of awful fear and pride to change and it doesn't really change our hearts; it just restrains our hearts.”
Biblical Examples:
Personal Examples:- Two men asked to mow the lawn; Two children in the grocery store
“If you know what He has done at infinite cost to himself—He’s put you into a relationship so that you’ll never be rejected by Him—then your motivation when you sin is to go get Him. You want fellowship with Him. When the thing that most assures you is the thing that most convicts you, you’ll be okay because when you’re convicted of sin in a gospel way it drives you toward God.” – Timothy Keller
Biblical Examples:
Personal Examples:- You are constantly aware of the jokes, comments, remarks you husband is making. You are humiliated when your kids are disobedient in public (much more disproportionate than in private). You get sinfully angry at your kids. You want to crawl in a hole when your husband opens his mouth. Why? Maybe they are tearing down your idol/threatening your idol of self-image; worth; status; works-righteousness. What do you do? You give your husband a “prep” talk before going out in public. You threaten your kids, maybe not with explicit threats, but with your demeanor and tone.
In much of evangelicalism today, the emphasis falls on the question “What Would Jesus Do?” rather than “What Has Jesus Done?” – Michael Horton
Jesus is out Master, King, Father, and EXAMPLE rather than SAVIOR.
- The Gospel humbles us and protects us from: Arrogance and Self-Reliance – You are free to love others without placing them in your debt. You are humbly confident, therefore reliant. I am able to correct without crushing. How? I am the most awful sinner I know. Gentle Jesus has been so patient and merciful to me – how could I be less?
- The Gospel affirms us and protects us from: Hopelessness and Exasperation – You are free to love without loving like a debtor. I hear criticism without being defensive and crushed. How? Jesus is my King, my Savior, My Identity. My performance does not dictate my identity. You have a cradle of security in your moment of greatest vulnerability.
Biblical Examples:
Personal Examples:- Your life is described by the older brother in Luke 15 “I deserve; I have earned; I am lacking joy when others are blessed with what I deserve.”
- You go to the baby shower and are so offended when they didn't come to yours. You give to benevolence because you might need it some day.
Do any of us find decays of grace prevailing in us; deadness, coldness, lukewarmness, a kind of spiritual stupidity and senselessness coming upon us? Do we find an unreadiness unto the exercise of grace in its proper season and the vigorous acting of it in duties of communion with God? And would we have our souls recovered from these dangerous diseases? Let us assure ourselves there is no better way for our healing and deliverance, yea no other way but this alone, namely, the obtaining a fresh view of the glory of Christ by faith, and a steady abiding therein. Constant contemplation of Christ and his glory putting forth its transforming power unto revival of all grace, is the only relief in this case. - John Owen. The Gospel Defended, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, 1850-1853, (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1967), XII, 501-502, paragraphing mine.
To the Unrepentant:
You sit at the mouth of a furnace much hotter than that of Christ. Christ was not hopeless. He knew He would die and rise again in three days. The sinner in Hell has no such hope. There is no end to the suffering of the unrepentant. Christ suffered no remorse. In hell, the sinner’s guilty conscience is his own tormentor.
When Christ was abandoned He cried “My God, My God!” knowing that He was His God still, though He has forsaken Him. The wicked in Hell will know that He is not their God, but their judge and irreconcilable enemy.
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