Penal substitution as one model
Flagged as a concern
The teaching that penal substitution is one valid picture of the atonement among several, with no special place at the center.
Also called: one model among several, penal substitution one model among several
What it means
Some churches and teachers affirm that Christ bore our penalty, but treat this as one "model" or "metaphor" alongside others: Christ's victory over evil, His example of self-giving love, His healing of human nature. Which model is emphasized depends on the audience or the season, and none is said to be the foundation.
This is not a denial of penal substitution, and those who hold it often love Christ and preach the cross. But it differs from the historic Protestant confessions, which present Christ's satisfaction of divine justice as the heart of what the cross accomplished. This site flags it as a concern to look into rather than a failure.
What Scripture says
Paul explains the cross as the way God shows His justice while justifying the ungodly.
It was the LORD's will to crush Him and make His life a guilt offering.
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Christ disarmed the powers by canceling the record of debt against us at the cross.
Of first importance: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
What is wrong with it
Scripture does not present the images of the atonement as interchangeable. They hang together, and substitution is what holds them up. Colossians 2 shows Christ's victory over the powers coming through the cancellation of our debt. Romans 3 makes God's justice in punishing sin the reason the cross was necessary at all. To treat substitution as optional is to loosen the very thing that makes the other pictures true.
How it undermines the truth
It weakens the doctrine of justification, which rests on Christ having borne our guilt. If His death is only sometimes described as bearing our penalty, the ground for God declaring sinners righteous becomes unclear. It also tends to soften God's holiness and wrath against sin, since the model that speaks most directly of them is the one demoted.
How it can harm a church
Over time, a church that treats substitution as one option tends to stop preaching it. Members may hear about Christ's love and victory but never learn that their guilt has actually been dealt with, which leaves troubled consciences without the comfort they most need. Watch for whether substitution is preached regularly and plainly, or only acknowledged when asked.
This page describes a teaching, not the faith of any person who holds it.
Where it comes up
Confessions: WCF 8.5; LBCF 1689 8.5
On this site: Atonement
Related terms
Penal substitutionary atonementHistoric orthodoxy
On the cross, Christ took the place of sinners and bore the penalty their sins deserved, satisfying God's justice so that He could forgive them.
Christus VictorTerm
Latin for "Christ the Victor"; the biblical teaching that by His death and resurrection Christ defeated sin, death, and the devil.
Moral influence theorySerious error
The teaching that Christ's death saves only by showing God's love and moving us to repent, not by bearing the penalty for our sins.