The doctrine of substitutionary atonement is at the heart of the Gospel. Louis Berkhof introduces his section on the atonement with these words: “The great and central part of the priestly work of Christ lies in the atonement, but this, of course, is not complete without intercession. His sacrificial work on earth calls for his service in the heavenly sanctuary. The two are complementary parts of the priestly task of the Saviour…. the doctrine of the atonement, which is often called ‘the heart of the gospel’” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 307). And Gordon Reed states, “The doctrine of substitutionary atonement lies at the very heart of New Testament theology as well as the Old Testament” (Gordon Reed, Westminster Daily Devotional, March 9).
Jesus Christ’s work as our great High priest effectuates substitutionary atonement for His elect through His sacrifice of Himself. Why? Because sin brings upon humanity guilt, wrath, and punishment. If the sinner is to be delivered, one must be acquitted and delivered from guilt. God must be appeased, and the penalty must be achieved. Jesus Christ’s substitutionary atonement paid the acquitted and delivered God’s covenant people from the punishment for their sins. Horatius Bonar explains: “And of this Christianity, what is the essential characteristic, the indispensable feature from first to last? Is it incarnation or blood-shedding? Is it the cradle or the cross? Is it the scene at Bethlehem or at Golgatha? Assuredly the latter! ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,’ is no mere outcry of suffering nature, the cross is no mere scene of human martyrdom, and the great sepulcher is no mere Hebrew tomb. It is only through the cross that the sinner can meet with God; it is the cross that knits heaven and earth together; it is the cross that bears up the collapsing universe; it is the pierced hand that holds the golden scepter; it is at Calvary that we find the open gate of Paradise regained, and the gospel is the good news to the sinner, of liberty to enter in” (Horatius Bonar, Christ is All, 80).
The doctrine of substitutionary atonement is biblically explained in the Westminster Confession Larger Catechism by the questions and answers of forty-four and seventy-one. Question 44 and its answer states: “How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering himself a sacrifice without spot to God (Isa. 53; Heb. 9:14,28; 10:12), to be a reconciliation for the sins of his people (Heb.2:17; 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:21-22); and in making continual intercession for them (Heb. 7:25; 9:24).” Question 71 and its answer states: “How is justification an act of God’s free grace? Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice in the behalf of them that are justified (Rom. 5:8-10,19); yet inasmuch as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son (Isa. 53:4-6,10-12; Dan. 9:24,26; Matt. 20:28; Rom. 8:32; Heb. 7:22; 10:10; 1 Tim. 2:5–6; 1 peter 1:18-19), imputing his righteousness to them (Rom. 4:6,11; 2 Cor. 5:21), and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith (Rom. 3:24–25), which also is his gift (Eph. 2:8), their justification is to them of free grace (Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7).”
Consider what Gordon Reed states concerning Jesus as the great High Priest and the perfect sacrifice. “It is one thing to come before God with an offering or sacrifice. It is quite another to come before God as the sacrifice. As our great High Priest, Jesus has done both for us. He is the once and for all perfect and complete sacrifice whose blood atones for sin and makes us fit for the presence of God, now and in heaven” (Reed, March 13)
Therefore, The Westminster Confession, as mentioned above, describes the priestly function of Christ as His substitutionary atonement, His once offering up of Himself to satisfy divine justice, and His making continual intercession for us. Because Christ provides substitutionary atonement, He then is the source of our salvation, which is found in the sovereign love of God (John 3:16). As Morton Smith explains, “The idea is again suggested in Ephesians 2:4-5…where love is the motivating force behind the actual work of Christ in dying and being brought from death unto life” (Smith, Systematic Theology:1, 372). Smith continues with his point, “Romans 8:38-39 also speaks of this. Here the atonement is clearly referred to in vs. thirty-two, ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things’… Again, the love of God in Christ is seen in verses 35 and 39 as the ultimate source of this blessing” (Smith).
It is important to note that Jesus’s substitutionary atonement not only appeased the wrath of God, but as salvation applied through the atonement, Jesus Christ now intercedes in heaven for His elect. Wilhelmus Brakel puts it like this, “Christ also performed the second element of His high-priestly office while upon earth: intercession. This is to be observed in the high-priestly prayer and in Hebrews 5:7” (Wilhelmus Á Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, 542). He continues, “As High Priest [Jesus] is in heaven, As High Priest He sits at the right hand of God. The task which He engages Himself as High Priest is to appear before His Father on behalf of His elect, interceding for them” (Brakel, 547). Thus, one can see that Christ’s substitutionary atonement not only applies to justified salvation but also sanctified salvation. If Christ, as our great High Priest, did not perfectly and completely substitute our atonement for sin, then there would be no one to intercede for us for our sanctification.
As one’s great High priest, Jesus made a once and for all perfect sacrifice for one’s sins and appears in the very presence of God, making intercession for them. He is that sacrifice, the pure and spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world by His substitutionary atonement.
Andrews PCA 