High School Talk about Penal Substitutionary Atonement: Part 1, True, Partial, and Therefore Distorting

Twice now it's been my honor to visit Cason Pyle's senior Bible class at Abilene Christian School, where my wife is the High School Theatre teacher. Cason has invited me to speak to the class about salvation, and I've used most of that time to explore issues and problems with penal substitutionary atonement, the dominant view held by the students and the churches they come from. This series will be blogging through the main beats of my talk.

After introducing the class to the word "soteriology," as that is what we're talking about, I then sketch out the main points of penal substitutionary atonement. These should be familiar to you. Our sins bring us under the judgment of God. Jesus, in his death on the cross, takes on my punishment, substituting himself in my place. I receive that gift by faith. 

For the students in the class, this view--penal substitutionary atonement--"just is" salvation. Full stop. 

So the first thing I say to the class is this: Penal substitutionary atonement is true, but partial, and therefore distorting.

I think it's important to start by saying that penal substitutionary atonement is true. I think a lot of progressive Christians just blow past that point. Penal substitutionary atonement is the great whipping post of ex-evangelicals. But progressive Christians tend to ignore the fact that penal substitutionary atonement is right there in Scripture. 

By "true" I don't mean that the whole theorized mechanism is laid out in book, chapter and verse. Just that the offending ideas that make up penal substitutionary atonement are actually in the Bible. Shall we review? The wages of sin is death (Romans 6.23). Jesus bore our sins on the cross (1 Peter 2.4). For our sake Jesus became sin (2 Corinthians 5.21). Jesus died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15.3). Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse (Galatians 3.13). Jesus' blood saves us from the wrath to come (Romans 5.9). Jesus' blood washes away our sins (Revelation 1.5). Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1.29). Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9.22). Jesus' death was a propitiation for sins (1 John 2.2). 

I could go on, but you get the point. Penal substitutionary atonement is true. Or more carefully stated, the ideas behind penal substitutionary atonement have ample Scriptural support. What offends about penal substitutionary atonement is actually in Bible.

Given that, I think it is unwise for progressive types to just chuck the whole thing. I'd suggest not squeezing the Bible into your cozy progressive box. Be disturbed. It'll be good medicine.

That said, while penal substitutionary atonement is true, it is only a partial truth. It's not the whole story. And partial truths, when taken to be the whole truth, can be distorting. As I shared with the seniors, how many times have you heard a story which enrages you. In your outrage, you share your feelings with a person involved. But that person says, "Hold on. You're missing a few critical details." Upon hearing those details, everything changes and you're no longer outraged. That partial truth you had was true, but partial, and therefore distorting. In fact, a partial truth can point you in the exact opposite direction of the whole truth.

Penal substitutionary atonement is like that, I told the class. It's true, it's right there in Scripture, but it's a partial truth and therefore distorting.

I'll turn to those distortions in the posts to come.