Christ Did Not Die as a Substitute Instead of Us

The Christian teaching that Jesus died as a substitute for us diminishes the true significance of Christ's sacrifice, likening it to the sacrifices in idolatrous superstitions where wrathful deities are supposedly appeased by the blood of a substitute victim. This view portrays Christ as having paid our debts by dying in our place, much like a man stepping in at the last moment to take the place of a criminal at the scaffold.

However, this interpretation is contradicted by even the most basic facts. If Christ died instead of us, we would not face death, yet we do. If he bore the penalty we deserved - death - then he would not have risen from the dead, but he did. Crucially, if Christ's death was a substitutionary act, then its redemptive power would lie solely in his death, not in the resurrection that followed. Yet, Paul tells the Corinthians that despite Christ's death, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Moreover, if Christ paid our debts, they would not be truly forgiven, since a creditor cannot claim to forgive a debt that has already been paid by another. This idea undermines a central element of the gospel - the forgiveness of sins through the mercy and grace of God (Romans 3:25).

The doctrine that Christ died as a substitute places undue emphasis on his sacrifice as being effective for salvation in itself, as if it fulfilled some legal requirement or completed a transaction that saves us. This is not Biblical teaching. The shedding of Christ’s blood is not a magical thing, as portrayed in the legalistic reasoning behind the idea of substitutionary sacrifice.

The Blood of Christ is not Efficacious of Itself

In a literal sense, the shedding of Christ's blood has no intrinsic value of itself. It flowed from His wounds, dried on the ground like any ordinary blood, and could not be located or hold any spiritual value even if found.

1 John 1:7 states, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” This implies that if we do not walk in the light, the blood of Christ has no power, revealing that it is not the mystical or automatic legally operative thing often portrayed by mainstream teachings. For example, the doctrine of Original Sin suggests that the guilt of Adam and Eve's sin is passed to all their descendants and must be removed by Christ’s sacrifice.

However, Christ's sacrifice does not literally atone, purify, wash, cleanse, cover, justify, or redeem us on its own, nor does it perform any transaction. These are metaphors. Instead, the shedding of Christ’s blood symbolizes God's principles of justice in the process of justifying those who have faith. It is not the physical act of shedding blood or the sacrifice itself that brings forgiveness or deliverance from mortality, but rather God who applies the results of our faith. It is God who forgives our sins and will ultimately deliver us from mortality to immortality based on our faith in the righteousness represented by Christ’s sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “… without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” The significance of this is explained in Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” Blood symbolises life, and the shedding of Christ’s blood demonstrated that death is the just penalty for sin and that humanity, being mortal, is subject to death as a consequence of the first sin - though not bearing guilt for that original sin as the doctrine of Original Sin teaches.

The crucifixion of Christ, as a public "demonstration of the righteousness of God," displayed to the world the just treatment of sin. The shedding of blood symbolised this truth, representing the cessation of life. This public demonstration of God's righteousness could only be made within a body subjected to death’s dominion as a result of sin.

The purpose of Christ's sacrifice was to allow God to be just while also justifying or forgiving the unjust who repent in faith. God’s righteousness was demonstrated because He upheld the just sentence of death for sin while extending mercy to repentant and faithful sinners without compromising His justice. Thus, God is both righteous and just in forgiving and saving from death those who repent and acknowledge His righteousness in faith, as stated in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The practical implications of this sacrificial declaration of God’s righteousness are evident. It was "for the forgiveness of sins" for those who believe. Forgiveness is not a legal entitlement due to a debt paid by Christ, but a grace-given gift "through the forbearance of God." There would be no need for "forbearance" if a legal claim had been settled. God "forgives for Christ’s sake" (Ephesians 4:32).

The Sacrifice of Christ is Efficacious to Save Through Faith

God declared His justice and righteousness through the sacrifice of Christ, and based on our identification with these principles in faith, He forgives us and delivers us from mortality without compromising His supremacy or justice.

The efficacy of Christ's sacrifice lies in our “faith in his blood,” meaning our faith in the principles of God’s righteousness and the condemnation of sin, as demonstrated by the sacrificial shedding of Christ’s blood. When we repent of our sins, we acknowledge that God is just and righteous, while we, as sinners, are unjust. On the basis of our faith in God’s righteousness, revealed in the shedding of Christ’s blood, God can be just in forgiving and justifying us when we fall short, as stated in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This calls for a humble identification with God's declaration of righteousness through faith and baptism. The believer is "baptized into his death" (Romans 6:3-5), is “buried with him in baptism,” and receives forgiveness of all sins "through the forbearance of God."

This is a profound demonstration of God's kindness and wisdom, distinctly different from a legalistic view that treats the blood of Christ merely as a precious substance to cleanse us, as if it fulfilled a legal requirement or performed a transaction. It is not the blood itself, but God who acts in the entire process. Our cleansing from sin occurs because God forgives us based on what Christ has accomplished, provided we accept Him in faith and are baptised in his name.

Through His forbearance and grace, God counts us as righteous based on our faith in the principles of His righteousness declared in Christ’s sacrifice. As Paul explains in Romans 3:22-26 (WEY), “… 22 a righteousness coming from God, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ and extends to all who believe. No distinction is made; 23 for all alike have sinned, and all consciously come short of the glory of God, 24 gaining acquittal from guilt by His free unpurchased grace through the deliverance which is found in Christ Jesus. 25 He it is whom God put forward as a Mercy-Seat, rendered efficacious through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness—because of the passing over, in God’s forbearance, of the sins previously committed - 26 with a view to demonstrating, at the present time, His righteousness, that He may be shown to be righteous Himself, and the giver of righteousness to those who believe in Jesus.”

Paul further explains that righteousness is a gift of God’s grace, not something we can earn, as seen in Romans 4:4-5 “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” This is echoed in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

This perspective emphasizes forgiveness as central to God’s plan, occurring "through God’s forbearance," in contrast to the substitutionary concept, which suggests that our debt is paid by someone else. However, God truly forgives, and this is a fundamental aspect of the apostolic proclamation of the Gospel: "…through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" Acts 13:38, "be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" Acts 2:38, "…God in Christ forgave you" Ephesians 4:32.

As Our Representative, Christ Obtained Eternal Redemption for Himself and for Us Through His Own Blood

The substitutionary teaching that Christ’s blood was shed so that we might go free cannot be accurate for a significant reason: Scripture shows that Christ himself benefited from the operation of his own death. Hebrews 13:20 states, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant.”

This idea is even more explicitly presented in Hebrews 9:12 (KJV): "Not by the blood of goats or calves, but by his own blood, he entered the holy place once, having obtained eternal redemption." The term "redemption" essentially means “deliverance” and is typically used to describe God's salvation from sin and death.

Notably, the phrase "for us" does not appear in the original text but is added in some translations, such as the KJV, in a way that is not grammatically correct. The verb used is in the middle voice, indicating an action performed upon oneself. In this context, it means “having obtained in himself eternal redemption.”

Jesus was sent to obtain eternal redemption as our representative, and he achieved this through his own blood for himself, thereby securing it for us as well. Philippians 2:8 reinforces this concept: "…he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

The blood of Christ was effective in redeeming him from mortal human nature, with its impulses to sin, through his faith in the principles of God’s righteousness and the condemnation of sin, which were demonstrated in the shedding of his blood. This is the foundation of how his sacrifice is effective for our salvation. His life of perfect obedience, even unto death on the cross, showcased his faith in God’s righteousness and the condemnation of sin, as expressed in the shedding of his blood. This was literally demonstrated in his sacrifice. God redeemed and raised Jesus from the dead “through his own blood” based on his “faith in his blood” Romans 3:25 (KJV).

God sent Jesus as a man like us, with mortal human nature and its impulses to sin, needing redemption and deliverance from death. God saved him, as described in Hebrews 5:7: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” The substitutionary teaching that Christ died in our place does not account for the fact that Christ himself benefited from his own death or that he was exalted because of his submission in faith.

Christ was born with the primary purpose of dying as a sacrifice for us, having been sent by God as a mortal man for this very purpose so that he could serve as our representative. This was essential for demonstrating God’s righteousness and condemning sin in human flesh, which is the basis for all subsequent blessings. The condemnation of sin was crucial, and the resurrection had to align with the principle that death is the consequence of sin.

The Importance of a Correct Understanding

Understanding these concepts is crucial because they shape how we approach God acceptably and influence our character and daily conduct. When we pray and come before Him, it is important to recognise that while God is indeed kind and gracious, He does not compromise His justice or righteousness. We must understand that we cannot make demands on God because the forgiveness of our sins is a result of His forbearance and grace. Our debts have not been paid, nor can they be. The purpose of Christ's death was to declare God's righteousness so that, by identifying with Him through faith and baptism, we might receive God's forgiveness freely and ultimately be delivered from our sinful, mortal nature when Christ returns. In this way, God is glorified in all things.

Misunderstandings about these truths can hinder the proper development of character. The belief that Christ bore our punishment, settled our debts and that His righteousness is simply credited to us, requiring only passive belief on our part, obscures another vital truth: that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 6:9. True righteousness is demonstrated through righteous actions. James makes it clear that true faith is evident through righteous deeds, and without such actions, faith is dead James 2:14-24. This misconception hides the reality that we must actively strive for our salvation by persistently doing good, and that only those who endure to the end will attain salvation. As Paul states, “For in it (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17.

Moreover, this misunderstanding undermines a critical aspect of the Gospel - that Christ is the Judge who will determine who receives salvation and immortality. He will judge each person impartially based on their faith in the principles of God’s righteousness, as revealed in His sacrifice, and as evidenced by how they live out their faith.

Adapted from “The Blood of Christ” by Robert Roberts