“Substitutionary Suffering”—an Illusion

The very reason people intuitively recoil (unless they’ve become hardened by the repeated assaults of pulpit bombardments) at the thought of penal substitution—that God poured out His own wrath on His innocent Son in order to “satisfy” His “justice” against the sins of the guilty—is precisely that it strikes us as UNHOLY—UNWHOLESOME!  Something in this macabre scenario “hits” us as BULLYING.  If we permit theological scribes to silence our consciences regarding this orthodox caricature, what will the outcome be in terms of Christian character and social ethics?  [03/24/08]

The historical, empirical consequences of arguing for and preaching up a piously so-called “theology of the Cross” have been a muffling of Messiah’s resurrection:  a suppression of the real significance and authentic results of Pentecost, and a total neglect of the prophetic meaning of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. as a divine avenging for the Jewish crucifixion of His Son exactly one generation earlier.  [03/24/08]

In Messiah’s wrestling with Satan, his final winning move might aptly be dubbed THE REVERSE CRUX MANEUVER.  [03/25/08]

“SUBSTITUTIONARY SUFFERING”:  AN ILLUSION

The idea of “substitutionary suffering” has no utility in biblical theology whatever.  It is meaningless in its essence, in terms of the pattern of sound explanations that confronts us authoritatively in apostolic Scripture as well as Old Covenant Scripture, since in fact the expression never occurs.  Worse, it is misleading in its connotations and nuances (completely aside from its pretensions of being biblical), due to the erroneous theology that always accompanies it like fleas on a dog.

When sins/depravity/transgressions are borne by their perpetrator, then of course they are not “substitutionary,” by definition.  But even when they are borne by someone else, which happens whenever any sin is forgiven/pardoned (for then the forgiver/pardoner bears the sin/depravity/transgression perpetrated against them), the relation is not substitutionary in that case either, because it is not borne “in their place under the wrath of God” (which is the only plausible assumption furnishing an ostensible rationale for its traditional usage), but as a favor to the repentant perpetrator, and is modeled (usually…) by the graciousness of God demonstrated at Messiah’s resurrection from the death of the cross.  [03/29/08; 05/06/16]

Alan Groves, for all his traditionalistic errors concerning “vicarious” atonement has nonetheless scored a key goal by observing that, “The one who has borne (nasah) the sin of others (Is. 53:12) will be the one who is lifted up (nisah) by Yahweh (Is. 52:13). The wordplay is not accidental.” (“Atonement in Isaiah 53,” in The Glory of the Atonement:  Biblical, Historical & Practical Perspectives.  Essays in Honor of Roger Nicole.  Edited by Charles E. Hill and Frank A. James III.  [Downers Grove, IL:  InterVarsity Press, 2004], p. 81.  Emphasis added; Hebrew transliterated.)

Indeed, much more should be made of this observation than Groves does (or, indeed, can, in the absence of resurrectionary assumptions regarding the authentic justice of Yahweh).  Isaiah 6:1, 33:10, 52:13 and 57:15 in concert sing the praises of Yahweh, the Son of God, installed through resurrection, i.e., “lifting up,” via crucifixion, i.e., “exaltation,” in every single case of the couplet.

This truly remarkable concurrence of terms explodes with significance in light of the Messianic climax in the culminating events of the Cross and Resurrection.  THE ONE WHO BORE “THE SIN OF MANY” WAS HIMSELF BORNE “FROM THE GRAVE TO THE SKIES” (incorporating a very happy double entendre in English since, indeed, “this day have I begotten [or born] you” is well regarded as referring to his Resurrection!  Hebrews 1:5, Psalm 2:7), such that the capital crime of murdering the sinless Messiah in cold blood—an injustice of incomparable malice—was turned inside out by the overcompensating benignity of A DIVINE JUSTICE—NOT TO BE OUTDONE!—INTO A SALVATION FOR ALL WHO TRUST.  [03/29/08]