The Logic of Penal Substitution
Albert Mohler
Posted: Friday, April 13, 2007

Theologian J. I. Packer delivered an historic defense of objective significance of the cross in "What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Substitutionary Atonement," his 1973 Tyndale Biblical Theology Lecture at Cambridge University.

Packer starts by describing that the penal substitutionary understanding of the atonement "by and large, is a distinguishing mark of the world-wide evangelical fraternity." It is noteworthy that Packer expected his audience to accept that statement at face value. Just over thirty years ago it was safe to assume that most evangelicals understood the penal substitutionary view to be paramount.

In his words:

Broadly speaking, there have been three ways in which Christ's death has been explained in the church. Each reflects a particular view of the nature of God and our plight in sin, and of what is needed to bring us to God in the fellowship of acceptance on his side and faith and love on ours. It is worth glancing at them to see how the idea of substitution fits in with each. the rest