In 1 Corinthians 15:3 Paul says that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,” and that this, along with his burial, resurrection, and resurrection appearances, is “of first importance” to believers. It’s the “gospel” that Paul preached and that we receive (1 Cor. 15:1–2). At our recent Godward Life conference I had the privilege of leading a workshop that explored the meaning of the phrase “Christ died for our sins.” Even though many Christians would readily recognize this phrase, every generation of Christians needs to reflect anew on the relationship between Jesus’s death and our sins. In the workshop we saw the key word in the phrase is the word “for,” and it teaches us that Jesus died in our place, enduring the penalty for our sins, in order to reconcile us to God.
This doctrine is called “penal substitutionary atonement,” and it has come under fire recently by theologians who register various historical, theological, and biblical objections against it. In light of these recent challenges, Christians need to emulate the Berean Christians and return to the Scriptures “to see if these things are so” (Acts 17:11).
While many biblical texts teach penal substitutionary atonement (e.g., Isa. 53:5–6; Gal. 3:13), the passion narratives themselves give ample reason for Christians to uphold, treasure, and herald this doctrine. For our purposes, one example will suffice. In Luke’s gospel, we are told of the curious case of Barabbas, a “man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder” (Luke 23:25). More than the other Evangelists, Luke goes to great lengths to depict the sinfulness of Barabbas (Luke 23:18–25). By way of contrast, Luke presents Jesus as totally righteous and innocent, as recognized even by Pilate and the Roman centurion at the cross. Yet Pilate released Barabbas and condemned Jesus to be crucified. While Luke portrays Jesus as the righteous sufferer and highlights the travesty of injustice, more foundationally the story of Barabbas interprets Jesus’s crucifixion in penal and substitutionary ways. While we do not know what became of Barabbas after Good Friday, from a narrative perspective he symbolizes the kind of judicial freedom granted the Christian by virtue of Jesus’s crucifixion. Even though he deserved to die, Barabbas was acquitted and set free from the penalty of his crime. Why? Because Jesus died in his place, enduring the penalty of death that he deserved. In Luke’s narrative Barabbas is meant to resemble us, for like Barabbas, we deserve death as the penalty for our sins, and yet because Jesus died in our place, “the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Pet. 3:18), we are set free from sin’s penalty (Rom. 6:23). Even Barabbas’s own name confirms this resemblance, for “Barabbas” means “son of the father.” Like Barabbas, we become sons of our Father in heaven through faith in Jesus’s penal substitutionary atonement on our behalf.
The example of Barabbas illustrates how the passion narratives collectively teach the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. At Bethlehem College and Seminary, we aim to teach our students to be like the Berean Christians by observing what the biblical text teaches, by receiving it as true, and by articulating it afresh in the face of current challenges. Ultimately, we want biblical truth to strengthen our faith in Christ and increase our boast in his cross (Gal 6:14). Would you join us in prayer to this effect?
For the cause of Christ,
Joshua M. Greever, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Bethlehem Seminary and Associate Professor of New Testament
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that our faculty and students would see and savor the truth that “Christ died for our sins.”
- Pray that our seminarians would love their families and be faithful members of and apprentices at their local church.
- Pray that Bethlehem College and Seminary would be faithful in its mission to provide a robust education in serious joy.
- Pray for the full funding of The Serious Joy Scholarships for this academic year.