Five Things You Should Know About Substitution

by B.  Kunnari

1. What does substitution mean?

Substitution is the action performed by a substitute. Webster’s Dictionary defines a substitute as a person or thing serving or used in place of another. Wrapped up in the Biblical concept of substitution are the terms propitiation, atonement and satisfaction. These terms and their meanings will be explained shortly. But first we must understand the significance of this concept as found in the Bible.

2. The lamb as a substitute.

The Old Testament gives a great picture of a substitute. We see that the Jews were commanded by God to offer a lamb as a sacrifice. This lamb was to be spotless and without blemish. Its blood was to be shed, for in Hebrews 9:22 we read “…Without the shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins].” This animal was killed in the place of the guilty person and its blood was atonement for his sin. It did not remove the sin but the blood was sufficient to cover the sin until the perfect sacrifice would come (John 1:29).

3. What does substitution have to do with me?

Our problem is that we have offended a Holy God with our sin (Rom.3:23). The penalty for this sin must be paid. Rom. 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death…” We deserve death as the penalty for our sin. This death is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. Unless we can find a way to deal with our sin we will suffer the consequences.

4. Jesus Christ is our Substitute.

Because God loved us he provided a way to get rid of our sins and save us from this penalty (John 3:16). The second part of Romans 6:23 reveals this fact to us. “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Not just any one could satisfy Gods wrath. Here we see that the way God provided was through His Son and His shed blood on our behalf.  This work of Christ was substitutionary. He died in our place.

5. God is satisfied.

Whereas (before Christ) the blood of animals had to be shed repeatedly and only provided a temporary covering for our sin, the blood of Christ was shed only once on our behalf (Heb.10:10). I John 2:2 referring to Christ says “He is the propitiation for our sins…” Propitiation means that God was satisfied. This was “…not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world.”  This means Christ’s blood was shed for you and for me. You can be saved today and be certain of it!  Read our article on Knowing God or feel free to contact us!