Substitution

Substitution: Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  God's righteousness and justice demand that He execute the sentence He has decreed upon sin. "The soul that sins, it shall die." "The wages of sin is death." This means that judgment must fall on every human being personally, because we are all sinners. However, the Word of God tells of that our judgment has, in fact fallen on another person, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the fact of Christ's taking the punishment that was meant for us that is known as the doctrine of Substitution.

You can see a simple example of the idea of substitution in Mark 15:7. Barrabas was guilty of several crimes, including murder and insurrection. The Roman government had already condemned him to death by crucifixion. But Barrabas never saw his cross! Because Jesus took his place on the cross. In fact, Christ was Barabbas's substitute both physically and spiritually.

The doctrine of substitution describes both the nature of Christ's death and the method God uses in providing salvation for all of us. The guilt of the sinner is never denied.