In 9^th grade Mr. Ramala had an unusual practice in his Algebra classes. He allowed boys to take the swats meant for girls. I admit I am dating myself with this story, but a few boys did take their turns in accepting the paddling meant for the girls who broke the rules in class. Joe Bowen was the # 1 swat taker. I think I was # 3.

To “take the place of” or “to take the punishment for” someone else is what the doctrine of the Vicarious Atonement of Christ means. He took our place, our punishment. In the Old Testament God used goats to teach this very important truth. In Leviticus 16 God instructed the Jews to choose two goats; one to die as a substitute for the sins of the people, the other to carry the sins away into the desert. In the New Testament Jesus took the place of both goats as John the Baptist said in John 1:29 “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Paul wrote in Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

But did Jesus really take our sins on himself? Over the centuries many erroneous views of the atonement have surfaced. One such view known as “the moral influence theory” stated Christ’s death was meant to impress men with a sense of God’s love and that sin needed no atonement since God would not hold man accountable for sin. Yet, 1 Peter 3:18 affirms the reality of Christ’s substitutionary death when it says, “for Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

In the cross God declares his own glory and the uprightness of his law. He demonstrates his wrath against sin and sinners, and delivers everything needed for their salvation by causing Christ to die in our place. The idea of one person taking the place of another so sin might be paid for is not welcome news to everyone. Yet we can be encouraged by the words of Spurgeon who said, “in these days a direct attack is made upon the doctrine of the atonement. Men cannot bear substitution. They gnash their teeth at the thought of the Lamb of God bearing the sin of man. But we, who know by experience the preciousness of this truth, will proclaim it in defiance of them confidently and unceasingly. We will neither dilute it nor change it, nor fritter it away in any shape or fashion. It shall still be Christ, a positive substitute, bearing human guilt and suffering in the stead of men.”

Dana Arledge, Kevin Farmer, Phil Meade, Will Uminn