Hi friends,
A visitor to our community sent in this question. What are your thoughts?
the theory of penal substitution sounds like God is wrathful and blood thirsty and he made his son getting killed? Please explain
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I am grateful for this question, as it is one I have been considering a lot recently.
Some conclusions I have come to, that I invite others to challenge or add upon:
First, in the Christian understanding, God doesn’t punish someone else—He bears it Himself.**
A key point often underemphasized is that Jesus is not a third party but is himself a part of the Triune God. Therefore, God (the Son), willingly becomes human and freely offers Himself (John 10:18). This isn’t a father forcing an unwilling son—it is God acting as a united Trinity to heal humanity. God is sacrificing Godself to save us
Secondly, the Bible does not present a God who is bloodthirsty, but a God who is both just (Deuteronomy 32:4) and loving (Exodus 34:6). Justice means that God does not ignore evil or pretend it doesn’t matter. Love means He is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to rescue and restore broken people. Penal substitution is one way Christians have tried to express the idea that God takes sin seriously AND God Himself provides the solution.
That said, it is true that Christians throughout history have interpreted the cross in multiple ways.
Penal substitution is one lens, but not the only one.
- Christus Victor: Jesus defeating evil, death, and Satan (Named by Gustaf Aulén but also expressed by earlier theologians including Origen or Alexandria)
- Moral influence: Jesus showing the depth of God’s love and calling us to transformation (Modern theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher and medieval theologian Peter Abelard)
- **Recapitulation: **Christ becomes the “new Adam,” re-living and healing every stage of human life. ( Irenaeus of Lyons and much of the Eastern Orthodox tradition)
All of these perspectives can help enrich our understanding of the incredible reality of the life, death, and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ.
If penal substitution is heard in a way that makes God seem cruel, it needs to be clarified. When taught poorly, it can sound like “angry God kills innocent child Jesus.” But the classic Christian view is closer to: God Himself enters human suffering, takes on our brokenness, and heals what we could not heal through his own sacrificial death.
In short: The cross is not about a wrathful God harming His Son. It is about a loving God entering into human pain, dealing with sin, and offering restoration.
If you would like to learn more about atonement theories, I would recommend:
Approaching the Atonement by Oliver Crisp for a comprehensive overview or
The Nature of the Atonement: Four Views for a limited but accessible introduction to the topic.
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I really appreciate your insight on Jesus as part of the Triune God, it makes this a lot clearer.
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