Romans 3:25 - Penal substitution

This verse is usually mistranslated, or inadequately translated. ESV translates it properly when it says “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood”, other translations usually soften this. Propitiation means “one who turns aside wrath” and many people don’t like the idea of God’s wrath. Such thinking is usually the result of having an inadequate idea of how terrible and destructive sin is, your sin and my sin, the effect my sin has on me and the effect it has on others. Right at the start of the preceding section starting in Romans 1:18 Paul has said the wrath of God is being revealed against all godlessness and wickedness, and the succeeding verses have majored on man’s wickedness. This evil presents a major problem and only an understanding of the cross that includes Jesus paying the price of our sin is adequate to deal with it. There are many who object to “penal substitution”, but such people have a woefully inadequate view of sin, and their ideas offer no hope. I for one am glad and relieved that Jesus has paid the price for my sin and turned aside God’s justifiable wrath against me and my sin.

How was this turning aside of wrath achieved? Through Christ’s blood. All the Old Testament points to sacrifice atoning for sin, for shedding of blood atoning for sin. There is no escape from this, and Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. No, I don’t fully understand it, I don’t fully understand how Jesus’ death pays for my sin, but I know that it does and I believe it, I put my trust in His death for my sin.

How do we receive this forgiveness? By faith. Christ’s death was totally effective, but we still need to receive it by faith. An argument of Calvinism is that Christ died only for the elect (limited atonement) claiming that any other view is merely saying that Christ provided the possibility of being saved. However, I do not find this view convincing. One could draw a parallel with someone who was rightly convicted of a crime being given a pardon. In order for that pardon to be activated the person has to admit their guilt. The pardon was totally effective, it was given to the individual, but the person had to admit their guilt. In the same way, Christ died personally for you and me, His sacrifice was totally effective, but you and I need to repent and believe in order to receive it. However, my primary reason for not finding it convincing is that the Bible says Christ’s death was totally effective, and it says I must believe. It is as simple as that.