JESUS OUR SUBSTITUTE

“Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.” – 1 Peter 3:18.

There are many times when a substitute stands in for the original. A substitute teacher carries on the classwork while the regular classroom teacher is absent. Margarine can serve as a cheaper substitute for butter. A pharmacist can substitute a generic brand for a more expensive prescription drug. Sometimes, a substitute can be just as good as—if not better than—the original item. Other times, it serves a valid purpose but is simply a temporary place filler until the original is once again available.

There is one substitute, however, that has no comparison. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, serving as the perfect substitute. Jesus didn’t just die for you. He died as you. He died in your place. He became like you so you could become like Him. He was rejected so that you could be accepted. Though each of us is guilty of sin and deserving of its due punishment, Jesus willingly chose to take our place, paying the penalty that a just God requires. He became our substitute.

Jesus Christ, God’s perfect Son, was the only one qualified to be our substitute. One sinner cannot die for another sinner any more than one criminal cannot pay for another. God allowed His perfect Son to come to earth, die in our place as our substitute, and pay the punishment we deserved. It was an expression of love.

What was it that motivated Christ to give His life?  What was it that propelled Him to go to the cross?  What made the Son of God come down from heaven and be so rudely treated by men?  It was nothing other than pure love. John 15:13 says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  Jesus embodied that love, even to those who were not His friends. That speaks volumes of Christ’s love: He would give His life to people who did not love Him in return.

This should give us pause and make us stand in wonder. The fact that Christ would give His life, the fact that God would not hold that grudge—these are reminders of the great love that He has and the great blessing it is that we may have eternal life.

If Jesus willingly endured and suffered all He did to be the perfect substitute, would you not be willing to sacrifice for Him? “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (Romans 12:1).

Discussion Questions:

1. Jesus is the only one who could act as our substitute. Agree or disagree and why?
2. What does it mean to have Christ as a substitute?