1. THE DOCTRINE OF
SUBSTITUTION
HE DIED FOR ME
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2. SUBSTITUTION
• The word substitute simply means a person or
thing put in place of another, or to exchange.
Substitution also means to take the place of
another, and answering for him. Giving his life to
fight and die in the other man’s stead.
• C.H. Spurgeons said, my theology can be
summarized in these for words, “He died for me”.
It answers the question of God being just, and the
justifier of those who believe in Him. Romans
3:26
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3. ANCIENT TYPES OF SUBSTITUTES
• The creatures that were acceptable for sacrifice
were the bullock, the sheep, the goat, and the
turtle dove. It shall be acceptable for him in his
stead, to make atonement for him. Leviticus 1:4
• The offerer had to identify himself with his
offering. He had to transfer his guilt to the lamb,
and the virtues of the lamb was transferred to
the offerer. Christ has done the same thing for
every believer.
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4. PROPITIATION
• Day of Atonement, one goat was killed and its
blood carried within the veil and sprinkled once
upon the mercy seat, and seven time before it.
The other goat was presented alive and the sins
of the people was confessed over it by the High
Priest.
• Propitiation and substitution are inseparable.
Propitiation answers to the blessed work done
within the veil and before the eyes of God.
Substitution refers to the transference of sins to
the head of the scapegoat and its dismissal to a
land not inhabited. Leviticus 16
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5. ATTESTED TRUTH OF SUBSTITUTION
• What should have happened to us, was taken on
by Christ as our substitute. Having no debt of His
own to pay, He voluntarily paid our debts. God
had many claims against us, Christ offered to
make His own. Now we are free, and justified
from all that was against us. Acts 13:38-39
• The simple word “for” used so often in
connection with Christ and ourselves means in
behalf of. The handwriting against us has been
blotted out, and now with Christ we are free.
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6. WE WERE SINNERS
• Irrespective of who or what we were , the
Scripture concluded us all under sin. Galatians
3:22.
• The glory of the gospel is that He died for us, that
He might bring us back to God. 1Peter 3:18.
• He was made sin not a sinner for us. 1Corinthians
5:21
• He suffered God’s full displeasure against us, He
paid the wages of sin. Hebrews 9:25
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7. WHAT WE WERE UNDER
• We were under the sentence of death: sin’s
wages is death, spiritual, physical, and eternal.
Romans 5:6-8; 6:23
• We were under the curse of sin: Christ became
the curse for us. Offending in one point of the law
made us guilty of all the law. Galatians 3:13
• We were under wrath: sin occasioned the
righteous wrath of God, and all sinners were
under that wrath. In the sight of God we have
been punished, because His son was punished for
us. Romans 1:18, Ephesians 2:3, 1Thessalonians
1:10, Exodus 12:3-14, Galatians 2:20
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8. APOSTOLIC TEACHING OF
SUBSTITUTION
• Peter’s message was vibrant with the truth
that Christ “bare our sins in His own body on
the tree.” 1Peter 2:24
• John, “God sent His Son to be the propitiation
for our sin.” Christ died as the saviour of the
world. 1John 4:10, John 3:16
• Paul taught, “ Christ died for us”, He was made
sin for (instead of) us. “Christ died for the
ungodly.” 1Corinthians 15:3, 2Corinthians
5:21, Romans 5:6
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9. DID CHRIST DIE FOR THE WORLD?
• Universal bearing of sins by Christ necessarily
involves the monstrous thought of universal
salvation by Christ.
• Universalism-that all human beings will
eventually be saved. Denies the justice of God,
Christ is the substitute of the believer, and
becomes the sinners substitute once He is
received as saviour.
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10. WHO DIED
• We use the phrase “we died in the person of
Christ,” actually we did not die in Christ. Else
we must have shared in God’s judgment of
Christ on the cross. Because we are in Christ
we share in the benefits from such a union.
Thus we are dead with Him to sin and to the
law. Romans 6:7, Colossians 3:1.
• So we preach propitiation to the sinner, and
substitution to the believer.
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