What is vicarious atonement?

Beloved in Christ, vicarious atonement is a big theological jargon, but it's meaning is very simple. Vicarious means on behalf of others. Atonement also means reconciliation or making amends to restore a friendly relationship. In christian theology, it is the teaching that Jesus Christ stood as our substitute, and through his death, he reconciled us to God. Another theological term for vicarious atonement is substitutionary atonement. Vicarious atonement is a common theme throughout the scriptures of the old and the new testament. 

Let us look at some of those scriptures

The prophet Isaiah wrote: ''But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed''-- Isaiah 53; 5

''As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities''-- Isaiah 53; 11

From the inspired words of the prophet, Jesus suffered and bore the iniquities of his people upon himself and with his stripes we were healed. So we can see the vicarious nature of his suffering and death.

Apostle Peter, also by the Spirit wrote down this: "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit"-- 1 Peter 3; 18

I love the way our beloved apostle puts it, the just suffered for the unjust, in other words, Jesus the righteous one suffered in the room of the guilty party, to the end that he will restore us to God, to the end that he will reconcile us unto our God, through his substitutionary death on the accursed cross.

Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote down this: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"-- 2 Corinthians 5; 21

Paul is saying that God made him (Jesus Christ) who in his nature was sinless to be sin for us. How was Jesus made sin? He was made sin by bearing in his own self the sins of many. God treated him as though he was a sinner, and on the cross for the first time, God temporarily forsook him, because he borne the sins of his people. 

The eternal effect of him being made sin was that, we have been made the righteousness of God in him. God's righteousness has been credited into our account. There is an exchange, Jesus bore my sins and his righteousness was imputed to me. In Christ Jesus, we are righteous in God's sight. 

In the book of Romans, it is written: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"-- Romans 5; 8

From a close examination of the text before us, Christ by laying down his life on account of our sins, is God's way of demonstrating his agape love towards us. God's love is not in word, but in action, he proved is love for us in the vicarious death of his unique Son. Our love for one another should not be in words, but in action. Our love for one another shouldn't be a noun, but a verb.

There are many more passages which describes the vicarious nature of Christ sacrifice, but I trust that  even with these few passages, I have exposited in this short article, you now understand the whole concept of vicarious atonement? God bless you

A thought to ponder 🤔 

In Christ Jesus, we are righteous in God's sight. 

We defend and exposit the truth of the gospel

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