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False Allegations about Substitution and Christ’s Mission

False Allegations about Substitution and Christ’s Mission

Recently, I have noted, from online forums and emails, a resurgence in the number of people who misunderstand what our ministry teaches. It appears these misunderstandings arise out of false assumptions. For instance, if we say we don’t believe in “penal substitution,” then some individuals allege we don’t believe in the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death, which of course is not true.

This appears to happen because the people who make such allegations seem to consider “penal substitution” the only possible way for Christ to be our substitute. So, I thought I would provide this blog, which may be of benefit to many of you, our readers, if you find yourself confronted with similar concerns.

  • Denying Penal Substitution does NOT mean denying the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death.
  • Denying God punished Jesus at the cross does NOT mean Jesus avoided God’s wrath.
  • Denying God placed every sin ever committed upon Jesus does NOT mean Jesus did not become sin for us. He did!
  • Denying Christ paid a legal penalty does NOT mean Christ did not pay an infinite price. He did!

 

The key difference is how one understands God’s law. Individuals who make allegations like those cited above tend to see God’s law as “imposed,” like human law; rules dictated without inherent consequence, which requires the ruling authority to police breeches in the law and punish the guilty.

But, when we come back to the call of the first angel of Revelation 14 and worship “him who made the heavens, earth, and seas…”; when we come back to worship the Designer and reject the dictator view of God, everything changes.

God’s law is NOT like a Roman emperor. God is Creator, Builder, Designer, and His law is the law upon which life is constructed to operate, on all levels, physical, relational, and moral. Deviate from this design and one takes oneself out of harmony with how the Designer constructed life to exist, and if God does nothing, then death ensues.

Thus, once Adam sinned, mankind was deviant from God’s design, “dead in trespass and sin,” and in a terminal condition. (Eph 2:1) If the Designer didn’t intervene humankind would have died from sin. “Sin when full grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15) It is as simple as that.

Jesus, then, becomes our substitute by taking our condition upon Himself in order to heal and cure the condition. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Cor 5:21) It is by his wounds, his sacrifice, that “we are healed.” (Isa 53:5)

Thus, when we understand God’s law, His design for life, the law of love, we recognize our sinfulness, our sinful state, and see that our deviant condition is out of harmony with how He built life to operate. Further, we recognize Christ took up this “terminal” condition and He fixed what Adam’s sin did to humanity.

Jesus destroyed the infection of fear and selfishness and established God’s perfect law of love within the humanity He assumed. In other words, He became sin, suffered the horrible pain this condition brings, and yet through the ordeal He loved perfectly, thereby purifying and perfecting the humanity He assumed. In other words, He did not have individual acts placed upon Him that were then individually punished by some external cosmic authority.

But, if one accepts the lie of the little horn, the change to God’s law, that God’s law is like manmade law, imposed without inherent consequence, one falsely believes that deviation from God’s design requires the lawgiver to impose punishment. Therefore, one falsely believes that the nature of Jesus’ substitutionary death was not for healing, but to pay an imposed legal penalty. Further, one falsely believes God actually used His power to execute Jesus on the cross, punishing Him for each individual act of sin ever committed. Isaiah prophesied we would misunderstand God’s actions when he said, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.” (Isa 53:4)

Note, Jesus took up our “infirmities” (our sick state) in order to heal and cure; yet we would misunderstand and think God was striking (punishing) Him. Those who promote penal substitution promulgate this lie, that God, in order to be just had to strike Jesus.

Yes, Jesus did experience God’s wrath upon sin! That is, God abandoned Jesus to experience what Jesus had chosen to do, to go through the cross and die as our substitute. Note what Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” (MT 27:46) Not, “Why are you torturing me? Why are you executing me?” Jesus didn’t avoid the wrath of God, which is God’s letting go to reap what one has chosen. (See Romans 1:18-31) Yet, in His wrath, God never laid a hand upon His Son. His hands of protection were REMOVED from Christ and Jesus experienced death at the hands of man.

Because God’s law is the design template upon which life is constructed and because humankind, after Adam, was deviant from this design and in a terminal condition, humanity became incapable of remedying this situation (in other words, we could not put ourselves back into harmony with God’s design). Therfore, God sent His Son to do this work for us. This would cost the Godhead more than we will ever know, but it was not a legal price paid to the heavenly treasurer. It was the price necessary by our condition to free us from Satan’s lies and our own carnal nature.

An analogy would be the high price someone pays when they donate a kidney to a loved one dying of renal failure. Yes, the person who donates a kidney pays a price, but it is not a legal price. Likewise, our situation, our condition, required fixing; the only way to do that was by the exercise of perfect character of love within a real human brain. Jesus became human to do this for us, and it cost Him beyond measure. Infinite Christ, God, is now and forever confined to a finite perfect human brain living within a finite human body.

So, the next time someone suggests we don’t believe in the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death, feel confident in your answer. Christ is our substitute in fixing what Adam’s sin did to humanity, restoring God’s law of love back into humanity, and thereby procuring the Remedy which heals all who trust Him, recreating within each of us a new heart and right spirit, so that it is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me. Through Christ, we become partakers of the divine nature and reconciled into unity with God. (Ezek 36:26, Gal 2:20, 2Pet 1:4)

 

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I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

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God lead me to your book “The God-Shaped Brain” while I was searching for another book about the brain and then to your interview about your book on HeartWise Ministries [where] I found out about [Come And Reason Ministries]. I’m now devouring the webcasts of your Bible studies. I have been so greatly blessed and I thank God so much for your courage to speak the Truth in love no matter what. Listening to you contrast the two opposing systems (laws) and digging deep to unearth the hidden treasures in the Bible makes me so incredibly happy and I feel very blessed to be part of your Bible Study Group although I live far away. I am just so excited that there is a group of people that is spreading the Truth about the character of God and it saddens me how few realize what our Father in Heaven is really like.

Kessy B., Australia

 

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L., Queensland, Australia

 

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I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA

Testimony 57

You have helped make sense of thirty two years of confusion. The material you freely provide reorganized so much of my life into such a beautiful pattern that has always been hinted at from within, but misguided with my training and what I was experiencing externally. My filipno parents, who were converted from Catholicism to SDA, were sincere and did their best to raise me the right way and I have deep respect for them. However, being immigrants and not understanding the language made for a difficult transition as I was growing up, which also applied to my spiritual growth as I learned the patterns of religion. I have been listening to as many bible study classes and reading blog posts as my time in a work truck will allow, searching for the practical applications of where spirituality and reality meet, and I thank you for helping me find that. You have helped me reach a point in which I can truly say that I love God, that I believe He loves me, and, like David, I delight in His law. God bless.

Emmanuel V., Calgary, AB Canada

Testimony 43

Two years ago I stumbled upon your book, “Could It Be This Simple,” and then found “The God-Shaped Brain” videos on YouTube, your bible study class, and the ‘Come And Reason’ mobile app. I shared your book with a friend and after nine months of showing love, patience, and kindness this person has been changed by the love of God, too. The same love that healed me, I now express to other women in tangible ways, such as to a Baptist woman with high anxiety and childhood trauma. She was extremely happy and relieved when I shared about the so-called “judgment of God” and burning in hell. She had no desire to serve a God that was so harsh. I have repeated the phrase dozens of times to her. “What we believe has power over us, but we have power over what we believe…”

This message that you are sharing has changed my life. I will continue to serve other women and bring this message of God’s healing love to their lives by sharing your books, YouTube videos, and The Remedy Bible app. Keep up the good work. Don’t be discouraged. God is doing a mighty work in and through this ministry!

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Testimony 50

After coming into contact with Come And Reason Ministries, I can finally say that many of my unanswered questions have fallen into place. I discovered that my view of God’s Law was “imposed laws and rules” with “imposed punishments” and that this was the major culprit of my many unanswered questions. Thanks be to God for using you and those around you to help us who have struggled with this “infection” of thought. I have now rejected the “imposed law” concept to fully embrace “Design Law”… to look thru “Design Law,” instead of “imposed law,” is a relief.

Viliami L., Australia

 

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I have found your Bible study class lectures to be very inspiring and useful as I prepare to teach class every other week. I subscribe to the podcast and download your notes on the weeks I teach. The audio and notes are such a great help in preparing. My own understanding of God’s character has grown as I teach the class. Commendations on the thought-provoking and well-prepared material Come and Reason provides. Personally, I get excited by the tie you make between the spiritual and mental/physical domains.

A.A. Corrales, NM, USA

 

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I have been really blessed reading your response to the various questions on your site.

K.C., OH, USA

 

Testimony 29

Thank you for all of your work to correct misconceptions about God’s character. So many people that my husband and I have talked to seem to be against the natural law construct and view it as “errant” and “dangerous.” Having learned more about it through your blogs and lessons, I don’t really understand why they view it that way, except that it means they have to relearn theology they have known for their entire lives. But I’m so excited to relearn this. For the past few years I have been questioning how I could trust a God who punishes arbitrarily and is full of wrath for those who don’t obey His commands. That view made me afraid to “mess up” or “not be good enough,” even within my relationship with God. I really appreciated the point you bring out about God not wanting us to serve Him because we are afraid, but because we love Him.

Melissa H., IN, USA

 

Testimony 18

The Healing the Mind DVD set tarted me on a journey that has changed my relationship with our loving God more significantly than any other study, and brought me to your book and Bible study podcasts, which I now listen to daily, thanks to the availability of archived content on your site and on iTunes.

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S. G., TX, USA

 

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I’m a youth leader in South Africa. We as a youth group are currently using a lot of the material on the Come and Reason site. Since we’ve started using the material, our youth group has grown.

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Testimony 64

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