This post is about why I believe the Penal Substitution theory of Atonement is compatible with the Wesleyan-Arminian theology. It is scripturally supported, it is easy to understand, it is advocated by Wesleyans and Arminians past and present, and properly represented it gives an accurate picture of God’s loving nature, without neglecting his holiness.
Here is a quick summary of the Penal Substitution theory: Penal means legal, and substitution means Jesus took our place. Before God the Father, Jesus legally took our place. The theory was developed by John Calvin and other reformers at the time of the Reformation. Penal substitution is a modification and systemization of Anselm’s satisfaction theory. Anselm’s theory focuses on God’s honor. Penal substitution focuses on God’s justice. It says that Jesus willingly died on the cross as a substitute for humanity, taking our place. God the Father gave Jesus the penalty we deserved. This allows God to cancel our sin through the sacrifice of his perfect Son. God imputed our sin to Jesus, and in him and because of his work we are now given right standing before God.
Atonement theories are not the gospel themselves, they are just tools to help us understand what Jesus accomplished at the cross. We should not be dogmatic about them. That is to say Christians in general, including Wesleyans, should be able to in good conscience hold to different orthodox atonement theories or combination of theories that they believe provide the best the picture of who God is, and what Jesus accomplished. The goal of this post isn’t to say that all Wesleyans must affirm penal substitution, the goal is to show why some Wesleyans affirm it for good reasons. I see value in all of the theories of atonement. They all help to contribute to give a better picture of who God is. And they almost all include substitution of some form. Having said that, Penal Substitution is my preferred theory.
Scriptural Support
Penal Substitution is supported by scripture, and arguably has the most support of any of the theories. Here are a few passages that I think advocate the view. I’ll include some thoughts in italics on each.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This passage gives a strong picture of atonement. Notice it says that God (the Father) made him (the Son) who had no sin to be sin (a sin offering) for us. And this was so that in him (Christ) we can become the righteousness of God.
Colossians 2:13-15
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
This passage speaks of the atonement in legal terms. We were legally indebted and condemned. Jesus took that away and nailed it to the cross. This passage also shows of the validity of the Ransom / Christus Victor view of atonement (that Jesus defeated Satan and evil at the cross).
1 John 2:1-2
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice [propitiation] for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
We have an advocate (Jesus) to God the Father, and this is because of what Jesus accomplished at the cross. To propitiate means “to appease”. John Wesley wrote of this passage “The atoning sacrifice by which the wrath of God is appeased. For our sins – Who believe. And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world – Just as wide as sin extends, the propitiation extends also .”
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Jesus willingly took the penalty for our sins. God the Father placed all of our iniquity (our wickedness) on the Son, and because of this we are healed.
Romans 8:1-4
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
We are no longer condemned because Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death. This is because God sent his Son in the flesh to be our sin offering, and in doing so he condemned sin in the flesh.
Galatians 3:10-14
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
We are cursed because we don’t and can’t obey the law. Jesus redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming the curse for us.
The Penal Substitution theory is easy to communicate and understand
An additional benefit is that Penal Substitution is easy to understand. While this doesn’t make it true in and of itself, it’s useful because it’s easily communicated. It’s arguably the default theory for most of Protestant Christianity because of this. If you ask your average lay person to explain how Jesus saves them, they’ll likely tell you something like “Jesus took the penalty that I deserve”.
Some of the other atonement theories, such as the Governmental theory, are difficult to explain and understand. This reduces their usefulness outside academic circles. If a layperson can’t grasp an atonement theory, it’s not valuable to them and hinders their witness to others. This is even more true when graduating seminary students can’t explain. Nazarene theologian Richard Taylor wrote about this in his book on atonement God’s Integrity and the Cross, noting that graduating seminary students at Nazarene Theological Seminary often couldn’t explain the Governmental atonement theory. For this reason and scriptural reasons, Taylor eventually changed and adopted Penal Substitution as his preferred theory. “Year after year I was distressed by the cloudy grasp of this basic Christian dogma displayed by a very high percentage of the students. In trying to analyze this serious weakness, I found myself probing the wonderful but complex area of truth more carefully.”
Penal Substitution has been advocated by many Wesleyans and Arminians, both past and present.
One of the four pillars of the Wesleyan quadrilateral is tradition (Scripture, tradition, reason, experience). By tradition we mean that our Wesleyan beliefs are influenced by historic Christian orthodoxy. Since both Jacob Arminius and John Wesley advocated for the Penal Substitution theory, it deserves consideration.
Jacob Arminus wrote: “For since the first covenant had been made weak through sin and the flesh, and was not capable of bringing righteousness and life, it was necessary, either to enter into another, or that we should be forever expelled from God’s presence. Such a covenant could not be contracted between a just God and sinful men, except in consequence of a reconciliation, which it pleased God, the offended party, should be perfected by the blood of our High Priest, to be poured out on the altar of the cross. He who was at once the officiating priest and the Lamb for sacrifice, poured out his sacred blood, and thus asked and obtained for us a reconciliation with God. ” [The Priesthood of Christ]
John Wesley wrote: “Our sins were the procuring cause of all his sufferings. His sufferings were the penal effects of our sins. ‘The chastisement of our peace,’ the punishment necessary to procure it, ‘was’ laid ‘on him,’ freely submitting thereto: ‘And by his stripes’ (a part of his sufferings again put for the whole) ‘we are healed’; pardon, sanctification, and final salvation, are all purchased and bestowed upon us. Every chastisement is for some fault. That laid on Christ was not for his own, but ours; and was needful to reconcile an offended Lawgiver, and offering guilty creatures, to each other. So ‘the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all’; that is, the punishment due to our iniquity.” [The Doctrine of Original Sin].
Penal Substitution has also been advocated by modern Wesleyan and Arminian theologians, including: William Lane Craig (Methodist), Ben Witherington (Methodist), Thomas Oden (Methodist), F Leroy Forlines (Free Will Baptist), Robert Picirilli (Free Will Baptist), Jack Cottrell (Church of Christ), the above mentioned Richard Taylor (Nazarene), and others.
Ben Witherington, professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Seminary writes (about WLC’s book): “The essence of the book’s argument can be summed up as follows— Penal substitutionary atonement, involving both propitiation of God’s wrath, and expiation of our guilt is at the very heart of the NT doctrine of the atonement. I completely agree with this analysis. Any theory of the atonement must adequately deal with the righteous character of God and the fact that his moral character demands that justice in some form must be done in a world where all have sinned, but at the same time since God is love, and is merciful, he found a way to satisfy the demands for justice and at the same time save the sinner.”
Roger Olson Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at Baylor University writes in his book Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities, that: “There is no one Arminian doctrine of Christ’s atonement. Many Arminians accept the penal substitution theory enthusiatcicly, but others prefer the governmental theory.”
While not all Wesleyan Arminians hold to penal substitution (nor should they be required to), it has a strong history in our tradition, up to the present time.
Penal Substitution is compatible with God’s love, without neglecting his holiness and integrity.
As Wesleyan-Arminians, we rightfully focus on God’s love as his defining characteristic [1 John 4:8]. But he is more than just love. He his holy and truthful as well, and that’s why a penalty for sin is required. Richard Taylor writes that “If love alone were at work here, unconditional forgiveness could have been extended to the whole world without such a horrible price as the suffering of God’s only son. But God is holy as well as loving, and holiness governs the way love functions…It should become axiomatic in our thinking that the necessity of penalty is not incompatible with love. It was love that gave God’s only Son for our redemption; but it was the necessity of penalty that made the gift of his Son, not only necessary, but necessary as a blood sacrifice.”
With penal substitution, God the Father treats Christ the son, in our place, the way we deserve. By doing this it makes his love and mercy compatible with justice. He is true to himself.
An analogy on why integrity matters: My wife and I have a son, and we love him. Today my wife told him that we’ll go out to eat at a restaurant for dinner, but first he needs to put his dirty clothes in the hamper and put the hamper next to the washing machine. He did this, and we went out for dinner. But what if he didn’t complete his chore? Would it be loving for us to take him out to dinner anyway? Would my wife still be true to her word? No. It would make her less loving and less true. In a healthy and loving parent-child relationship, there are consequences when the child disobeys. The loving response addresses the disobedience in the best way. Just like parents love with integrity, God’s loves with integrity. Because of his perfect love, especially because of it, he can’t ignore our sin. There are consequences for sin. God lovingly responds to our disobedience in the best way.
God always keeps his word and does what he says he will do. God says there is a penalty for sin [Romans 6:23], and God is always truthful to us and himself. If he didn’t have integrity, he wouldn’t be trustworthy. With penal substitution God does keep his word, yet because of his love, he (the Son) takes the penalty that we deserve.
Addressing criticisms
Some argue that Penal Substitution inaccurately portrays God the Father. That it effectively means the Father had to hate his innocent Son and take out his revenge on him. I don’t think this is a fair criticism. Jesus went to the cross willingly, because the Father asked him to. The Father didn’t hate the Son, rather he gave the Son the penalty we deserve. That’s not the same thing.
Some argue that Penal Substitution creates a conflict in the Godhead where the Father no longer approves of the Son. I disagree. During the very time Jesus was paying our penalty on the cross, the Father still loved and approved him.
Charles Wesley expresses these two ideas together well in the hymn Wherewith O Lord Shall I draw Near?
For me I now believe He died!
He made my every crime His own,
Fully for me He satisfied:
Father, well pleased behold Thy Son.
As Paul says in Philippians 2, Jesus willingly humbled himself, he was obedient to death, even death on the cross. Because of this God the Father exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name. God the Father was pleased with his Son while he was giving him our penalty, because Jesus willingly bore it and was obedient to death.
Others argue that God the Father could not really forsake his son during the crucifixion, although Jesus seems to express that he did. “My God my God, why have you abandoned me?” [Matt 27:46]. The Father had to be separated from the Son, just as we in our sinful state are separated from God. forsake his Son for the penalty to truly be sufficient. Jesus also had to be relationally separated from the Father in order to truly take on our penalty. We know what it’s like to be entirely alone. Jesus does too. He can empathize with us in every way. [Heb 4:14-16],
Some have argued that Penal Substitution is cosmic child abuse. Brian McLaren takes this view. The angry Father unfairly abuses his Son. One problem with this argument is it invalidates other substitutionary atonement theories. If true, it presumably applies to the Governmental and Satisfaction views as well, as they both also have the Son being punished by the will of the Father in order to maintain his honor and moral rule of law. And again, this criticism minimizes the truth that Jesus willingly went to the cross. He wasn’t a child, he was an adult who made the decision in collaboration with the Father. The more biblical picture is that God the Father sent his only begotten Son, and the Son willingly went to the cross as a sacrifice, and make atonement for the world.
The End!
In conclusion, the penal substitution is compatible with Wesleyan-Arminian thought. It has scriptural support, it useful because it’s easy to understand, it has been advocated by Wesleyan-Arminians past and present, it provides an accurate picture of God’s love and holiness, and criticisms of it miss the mark.
Wesleyan Arminian 