by Newman Nahas
What happened on the cross?
For many Christians, Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) is the definitive answer. This doctrine holds that "God inflicted upon Christ the suffering that we deserved as the punishment for our sins, as a result of which we no longer deserve punishment" (Craig, The Atonement, p. 53). The appeal of PSA often rests on a commendable desire to uphold the gravity of sin and the holiness of God. But by framing this gravity in legal and retributive terms, the doctrine misunderstands the nature of both God's justice and sin’s remedy—which is transformation, not retribution. I have written a companion essay that explores what the alternative perspective might look like. But, here, my focus is addressing why PSA fails.
I will primarily engage with William Lane Craig's The Atonement (Cambridge University Press, 2018). Ben Witherington III called Craig's treatment of the doctrine “the best current book I know of on this subject.” And other reviewers have echoed similar praise. Thus, it seemed like a reasonable focal point.
While I agree with the reviewers that Craig's work is commendable in its clarity, I believe that serves only to bring into focus PSA’s errors.
PSA begins with a perceived conflict between God's justice and His mercy, based on a specific view of divine nature:
1. God's justice demands punishment. God's justice is essential to His nature and is fundamentally retributive—"the guilty should be punished because they deserve punishment" (p. 71). Citing Exodus 34:7, Craig insists God "will by no means clear the guilty."
2. All humanity deserves this punishment. Through sin, all humans stand guilty before God (Rom. 3:23) and under the sentence of His justice.
3. God cannot simply forgive. If God forgave without penalty, His essential justice would be violated. As Craig argues, "Necessarily (If some human beings are saved, divine justice is satisfied)" (p. 94).
1. The Father Imputed our Sins to Christ.
"For Christ, in virtue of the imputation of our sins to him, was legally guilty before God. Of course, because our sins were merely imputed to Christ and not infused in him, Christ was, as always, personally virtuous... but he was declared legally guilty before God. Therefore, he was legally liable to punishment" (p. 75).
2. The Father Punished Christ for our Sins.
On the cross, God's retributive justice was poured out on Christ in our place: "God the Father's withdrawing from him the beatific vision and suspending the joy, comfort, sense, and fruition of full felicity" (p. 81).
3. The Father can Forgive us Because He Punished Christ as Our Proxy.