There are three key words, or phrases, in the New Testament that explain the doctrine of the penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross. They are the phrases in the place of, for the benefit of and the word ransom.
In the place of (ἀντί; anti) refers to a substitution for sin. There are many facets to the meaning of Christ’s death, but the central one—without which the others have no eternal meaning—is substitution. This simply means that Christ died in the place of sinners. The use of the Greek preposition anti clearly teaches this because it means in the place of. This meaning is found in a passage that has nothing to do with the death of Christ (Luke 11:11).
Most significantly, it is used in two passages that gives our Lord’s own interpretation of the meaning of His death. These are Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45). His death, He said, was to be a payment in the place of, or for, many.
Matthew 20:28 (ESV) – “28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45 (ESV) – “45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The second word is also a Greek preposition. It is the word (ὑπέρ; hyper). The preposition, huper, is used in the New Testament, and it has two meanings. Sometimes it means for the benefit of and sometimes in the place of. It is also translated in the English with the word for
“The death of Christ was both in our place and for our benefit, and there is no reason why huper, when it is used in relation to His death, does not include both ideas,” explains Dr. Charles Ryrie.
The word vicarious, meaning substitute, is extremely important to our understanding of the atonement of Christ. He was the sinners’ substitute (Luke 22:14-20; John 11:50; Romans 5:6-10; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Galatians 1:3-4; I Thessalonians 5:9-10; Philemon 13).
“The late Swiss theologian Karl Barth once said that, in his judgment, the single most important word in all of the Greek New Testament is the miniscule word huper. This little word is translated by the English phrase “on behalf of. He was seeking to call attention to the importance of what is known in theology as the vicarious aspect of the ministry of Jesus,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“We sometimes speak of Jesus’ work on the cross as the substitutionary atonement of Christ. This means that when He offered an atonement, it was not to satisfy God’s justice for His own sins, but for the sins of others. He stepped into the role of the Substitute, representing His people. He didn’t lay down His life for Himself; He laid it down for His sheep. He is our ultimate substitute.” See Genesis 3:21; 22:10-13; Exodus 12:12-13; Isaiah 53:1-6; John 10:11-18; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; I Peter 2:20-24; 3:13-18.
The third word is the noun ransom (λύτρον; lytron). A ransom is the means or instrument by which release or deliverance is made possible. It is the means of release.
“Ransom” refers to the price paid to free a slave or a prisoner; “for” means “in place of.” Christ’s substitutionary death on behalf of those who would put their faith in him is the most glorious, blessed truth in all of Scripture (cf. Rom. 8:1–3; 1 Cor. 6:20; Gal. 3:13; 4:5; Eph. 1:7; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet. 1:18–19). The ransom was not paid to Satan, as some erroneous theories of the atonement teach. Satan is presented in Scripture as a foe to be defeated, not a ruler to be placated. The ransom price was paid to God to satisfy his justice and holy wrath against sin. In paying it, Christ “bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
May we consider the substitutionary work Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross on our behalf.
Soli deo Gloria!
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