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 propitiation in Romans 3. Largely on linguistic and theological grounds, Dodd maintained that the word in Romans 3:25 should be rendered “means of expiation” and not propitiation.² Leon Morris has successfully challenged this argument in his book, “The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross.”³

          Dodd’s arguments were based on the use of the word hilasterion by pagans. Peterson shows the difference between the pagan and the Christian understanding of the word. In paganism humans take the initiative to make fickle gods willing to forgive by appeasing (propitiating) them by various means. In Scripture a loving and holy God takes the initiative and propitiates his own justice by bearing the brunt of his wrath against sin to freely forgive his rebellious creatures.⁴

          Peterson also shows how Paul has built up his argument in favor of propitiation instead of expiation in the beginning chapters of Romans. He asks, since Paul talked about the wrath of God (1:18-3:20), if it was not satisfied on the cross, where did it go? How can Paul claim that we have peace with God in 5:1 if the wrath issue is not settled? Moo has explained it well when he says, “when to the linguistic evidence we add the evidence of the context of Romans 1-3, where the wrath of God is the overarching theme, the conclusion that hilasterion includes reference to the turning away of God’s wrath is inescapable.”⁵

          A holy and righteous God maintain his moral integrity and forgive sinners at the same time because Jesus Christ became “a propitiation in his blood.” God settled the accounts accumulated in the Old Testament and satisfied his holy anger against sin by pouring that anger against Christ, who willingly gave himself for his people.

          It is not difficult to show that propitiation involves legal substitution in Romans. The first five chapters of Romans are filled with legal themes, including law, sin, condemnation, and justification. Paul here shows that the Jews are thrice condemned: the natural law (1:18-20), by the law written on the heart (2:15), and especially by the commandments (3:17-25). He follows it with the passage that talks about propitiation.

          D. A. Carson thinks Romans 3:25-26makes glorious contribution to Christian understanding of the ‘internal mechanism’ of the atonement.⁶ It explains the need for Christ’s propitiating sacrifice in terms of the just requirements of God’s holy character. He concludes that “this reading not only follows the exegesis carefully, but it brings the whole of the argument from Romans 1:18 on into gentle cohesion.”

          Romans 8 begins with another declaration that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. In other words, believers will not experience God’s eternal wrath. The words “who are in Christ Jesus” also points to a relationship element. Then Paul explains how this freedom from condemnation is accomplished. Paul tells us that God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. This happened when the Son came ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin’ and condemned the sin in the flesh. In the Septuagint, “for sins” is regularly used in the sense of “sin offering.” Then the condemnation of sin consists in God’s executing his judgment on sin in the atoning death of his Son. “The condemnation that our sins deserve has been poured out on Christ, our sin bearer; that is why ‘there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’⁷

          Peterson also thinks about 2 Corinthians 5:21 as another passage about penal substitution for two reasons.⁸ First, he thinks it is the correct exegesis of the passage. Jesus ‘w ho knew no sin’ was ‘made sin for our sake.’ In this sense, as Harris concludes, Jesus is both our representative and our substitute.⁹ Secondly, Peterson thinks this passage talks about penal substitution because of the function it plays in its context. The preceding verses talks about how God has reconciled us to Himself ‘through Christ’ (5:18). Because of Christ, God is ‘not counting’ believing sinners’ trespasses against them (5:19). Because Christ was made sin, believers become God’s righteousness in Christ and are therefore at peace with God.

          Galatians 3:13 clearly talks about penal substitution when it states that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. This appears in a passage that mentions blessings and curses. Blessing and curses are part of the biblical religion and clearly taught in the Old Testament. Paul teaches the same concepts to the new believers in Galatia when talks about the blessings of Abraham and the curses of the law. When he repeats the Abrahamic blessings in Galatians 3:1-3, we see blessings five times and curse once. But in 3:13-14 that talks about how Christ redeems us from the curse of the law, we see curse five times.

          By curse Paul is referring to the punishment that all lawbreakers deserve (3:10). Within the context of blessing and curse Paul speaks of Christ’s atoning death. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (3:13).

Peterson argues that this is the clearest statement about Christ being our penal substitute anywhere in the Bible. The law declared that cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree. Christ took that punishment that lawbreakers deserved by becoming the curse for us.

Gordon Fee explains this in this way. “Since Jesus had been hung on a pole by the Romans, this for Paul was sure evidence that God had cursed him; and whom God had cursed could not possible be honored as the Jewish Messiah. His encounter with Jesus risen from the dead radicalized Paul”¹⁰

 

¹ Peterson, Robert. Salvation Accomplished by the Son. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books (2012) p376 notes

² Dodd, C.H. The Bible and the Greeks. London: Hodder & Stoughton (1935) (based on his original article, “Hilasterion: Its Cognates, Derivatives and Synonyms in the Septuagint).

³ Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, 3^rd edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans (1965) p 155-78

⁴ Salvation Accomplished by the Son. P375

⁵ Moo, Douglas J. The Epistles to Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans (1996) p235

⁶ Carson, D. A. Atonement in Romans 3:21-26 (included in Hill and James, The Glory of the Atonement). Westmont, IL: IVP Academic (2004) p119-139.

⁷ Moo in The Epistle to the Romans, p 481

⁸ Peterson p381

⁹ Harris, Murray J. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans (2005) p452

¹⁰ Fee, Gordon. Pauline Christology: An Exegetical Theological Study. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson (2007) p535