Retrieving the Reformed Doctrine of Penal Substitution

During the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church had rejected the notion that justification is by faith alone. Challenging this notion, Martin Luther championed the doctrine of justification by faith (among other things!). And during the fray, Luther and other Reformers had to clarify how God forgives us in Christ. For if we deserve the punishment for our sins, then how can God freely forgive?

The Reformed answer included the explanation that Christ bore our sin and the punishment of death in our place (Isa 53:5–6). Put another way, Christ took the curse of God in our stead (Gal 3:13).

This doctrine eventually became known by the phrase penal substitutionary atonement (PSA). And while the doctrine maintained a tight grip on evangelical churches for some time, recently many have challenged the doctrine.

So given its historical, biblical, and contemporary import, we need to return to the genius of the Reformers to retrieve and reaffirm the truth that Christ bore our sin and died in our place. One way to do that is to define the doctrine and observe how key Reformers spoke of it. Read More