Does Paul Teach That the Death of Jesus Was Substitutionary?
The major biblical witness to Christ’s saving work as a penal substitution is the Apostle Paul. He uses at least five passages to convey this truth: Romans 3:25-26, 8:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; and Colossians 2:14. These same passages has been used by Peterson to prove other aspects about the saving work of Christ. 1 Paul starts the book of Romans by stating that in the gospel “the righteousness of God is revealed” (1:17). From there he writes extensively to show how the whole world is accountable to God and why the wrath of God is justified. He returns to the theme of righteousness of God in Romans 3:21. Paul tells us that everyone needs this righteousness “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23) and that we receive it “through faith in Jesus Christ” (3:22). In 1935, C. H. Dodd in his book “The Bible and the Greeks” used critical orthodoxy to overturn the traditional understanding of the words rendered pr