Was Jesus Really Punished in our Place? (Rethinking the Cross)

Why did Jesus die?

Most Christians have heard the same explanation their entire life:
“Jesus was punished by God in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.”

This idea is often called penal substitution.
And one of the theologians most responsible for popularising it was the 16th-century reformer John Calvin.

Calvin wrote:

“The guilt that held us liable for punishment has been transferred to the head of the Son of God.”
— John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.16.8

According to this view, God's justice demands punishment for sin.
God cannot simply forgive sin unless someone is punished.

So the argument goes like this:
Jesus stepped in, took our punishment, and paid our sin debt.

Now I’ll be honest.

I have stood directly against Calvin’s theology for years.

But recently I had to ask myself an honest question:

Why did Calvin come to that conclusion?

Is there any biblical truth behind what he was saying?

To answer that question, we need to go somewhere most Christians rarely look when discussing the cross.

We need to go to the books of the Law.

Israel’s Justice System

Under the Mosaic Law, justice was very specific.

The tribe of Levi was not given land in Canaan like the other tribes.
Instead, they were given 48 cities scattered throughout Israel.

Six of those cities were called cities of refuge.

You can read about them in Numbers 35 and Deuteronomy 19.

These cities served a very important purpose in Israel’s justice system.

If someone accidentally killed another person, they could flee to a city of refuge and receive a fair trial.

But if someone was found guilty of murder, the law required a serious consequence.

Numbers 35:33 says:

“So you shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.”
— Numbers 35:33

In other words:

Innocent blood polluted the land.

And the only thing that could cleanse that bloodguilt was the blood of the murderer.

If the murderer was proven guilty by two or three witnesses, he was handed over to the avenger of blood — a relative whose duty it was to execute justice.

This was Israel’s legal principle:

“A life for a life.”

It was not about revenge.

It was about purging bloodguilt from the land.

Jesus’ Warning to Jerusalem

Now fast forward to the ministry of Jesus.

In Matthew 23, Jesus confronts the religious leaders of Jerusalem.

And He makes a shocking statement.

He says:

“That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias.”
— Matthew 23:35

Then He says something even more striking:

“Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.”
— Matthew 23:36

Think about what Jesus was saying.

He was accusing that generation of bloodguilt.

The blood of the righteous — from Abel onward — would come upon them.

Why?

Because they were continuing the same pattern:
persecuting and killing God’s messengers.

Jesus even tells them:

“Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.”
— Matthew 23:32

And historically we know what happened next.

Within forty years, Jerusalem was surrounded by Roman armies.

During the Roman-Jewish War (AD 66–70), the city was destroyed and the temple burned.

According to the historian Josephus, over a million Jews died during that catastrophe.

Jesus had predicted it.

Luke records Him saying:

“When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh…
For these be the days of vengeance.”
— Luke 21:20, 22

The language is clear.

Days of vengeance.

Justice for bloodshed.

Jesus Bore Israel’s Sin

So what role did Jesus play in this story?

Peter tells us:

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.”
— 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus bore the sin of Israel.

He became the one treated as guilty under the law.

Why?

Because the Mosaic system required a life for a life.

And Jesus died under the law.

Paul explains this in Galatians:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
— Galatians 3:13

Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 21:23, which said that someone executed and hung on a tree was under God’s curse.

Jesus endured that curse.

Not because the Father hated Him.

But because He fulfilled the law’s requirements.

Calvin saw this principle, and he wrote:

“Christ stood in our place and bore what we deserved.”
— Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.16

But here’s where I believe Calvin extended the idea beyond the original context.

He applied it to all humanity for all time.

Yet the scriptures consistently connect this judgment with that generation of Israel.

The End of the Law’s Curse

The Mosaic Law demanded punishment.

But the New Covenant operates differently.

Paul writes in Romans 8:2:

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Through Jesus’ death, the covenant system that condemned Israel was fulfilled and brought to completion.

Now righteousness comes through something entirely different.

Not through law.

But through the Spirit.

Through faith like Abraham’s faith.

The Avenger of Blood

There is another fascinating connection.

In Israel’s law, justice for murder was carried out by the avenger of blood.

Now listen to what Paul says about Jesus:

“The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God.”
— 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8

Who was persecuting the church Paul was writing to?

Acts 17 tells us plainly.

It was unbelieving Jews who were moved with envy.

They stirred up mobs and attacked the believers.

At the same time, the book of Revelation shows the martyrs crying out:

“How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?”
— Revelation 6:10

Eventually the answer comes.

Revelation 19 describes Christ as:

“Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire…”
— Revelation 19:11&12

In other words, Jesus is not only the one who bore Israel’s sin.

He is also the ultimate avenger of righteous blood.

The True City of Refuge

There’s one final connection that is absolutely beautiful.

In Numbers 35:5 the Levitical cities were measured carefully.

They formed perfectly balanced spaces, two thousand cubits on each side.

Now look at what John sees in Revelation.

The New Jerusalem.

He writes:

“The city lieth foursquare… the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.”
— Revelation 21:16

Perfect symmetry.

Just like the cities of refuge.

Except this city is not merely physical safety.

It represents spiritual refuge.

A covenant kingdom where people find life through Christ.

In other words:

The New Jerusalem is the ultimate city of refuge.

Final Thought

So why did Jesus die?

Not because the Father needed someone to punish.

Not because God was trapped by His own justice.

But because Jesus came to fulfill the law, bear Israel’s covenantal sin, and bring the old system to its completion.

Through His blood, a new covenant was established.

A covenant not based on condemnation…

…but on the Spirit of life.

And today, anyone who walks in that Spirit enters the true city of refuge.

The kingdom of God.

Can we be "saved" and continue to sin?

Some people say “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”. I ask those people…what do you mean by that? Do “saved” people fornicate, lie, steal or get drunk?

Perhaps, if you’re going to say we’re all sinners you should define what you mean by sin.

There are sins of ignorance and sins of intent (Numbers 15:27–31).

We can make mistakes, however a “saved” person does not commit intentional sin.

Being “saved” is more than a repeat-after-me prayer. It’s more than acknowledging Jesus’s death and resurrection. It’s being filled with His Spirit.

“…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
— Romans 8:9 (KJV)

The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unclean vessel.

The vessel has to be purged before it can be filled an used by God.

“…Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.”
— 2 Timothy 2:19, 21 (KJV)

How do we purge our vessel?

Step one — come to God in broken, humble submission, yielding yourself fully to His influence.

Grace (charis) means the divine influence upon the heart.

In Ephesians 2:8&9 Paul wrote

“For by grace are ye saved through faith…”

Faith is always connected to action.

“By faith Noah…prepared an ark…”
— Hebrews 11:7 (KJV)

Faith is our response to divine influence.

In Matthew 22:11–13 a man was cast out of the wedding feast for not wearing the provided garment.

Salvation is the garment provided by grace — however, we put it on through faith.

Remember Zacchaeus? He made restitution. He returned what he had stolen, as part of his repentance process (Luke 19:8).

In Acts 19:18–19 they burned their expensive books on witchcraft.

In Acts 26:20 the people were told “repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.”

So, why did Paul write

“For by grace are ye saved through faith…not of works…”
— Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)

These are dead religious works as opposed to those done in response to divine influence.

So many church groups proclaim “we’re all sinners”, “nobodies perfect”.

I want to ask you…Is that how Jesus preached? Did He say “go and continue to sin” or “go, and sin no more”? (John 8:11)

Did Paul say “continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Or did he say,

“…God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
— Romans 6:1–2 (KJV)

What did John say?

“He that committeth sin is of the devil…”
— 1 John 3:8 (KJV)

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin…”
— 1 John 3:9 (KJV)

Martin Luther taught that we’re saved by faith alone, however in his mind faith was disconnected from deeds.

In his 1521 letter to Philip Melanchthon (Letter to Melanchthon, August 1, 1521), Martin Luther wrote:

“Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger… Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner. … No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a F sacrifice for our sins? Pray boldly, for you too are a mighty sinner.”

(From Luther’s Works, Vol. 48: Letters I, Fortress Press.)

Here we see the idea that Jesus was punished in our place to pay our sin debt. Paying someones debt is like paying their speeding fine. The fine is paid but the behaviour doesn’t change, they keep on speeding.

That’s why the bible doesn’t say Jesus paid our debt, it says He “bought”, “purchased” or “redeemed” the church. Redeem means payment of a ransom. Ransom implies deliverance from bondage— the church was delivered from bondage to the law of sin and death by Jesus’s blood.

What does Jesus’s blood represent?

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…”
— Leviticus 17:11 (KJV)

Blood represents life. Jesus’ blood represents the Spirit of His life.

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” — Romans 8:2

The Spirit of His life is self-sacrifice.

The New Covenant was founded upon self-sacrifice — the ultimate expression of love.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
— John 15:13 (KJV)

Walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) is walking in love. Love works no ill to his neighbour (Romans 13:10) because it is self-sacrificial.

If we walk in the Spirit we’ll not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. On the contrary, we’ll produce the fruit of the Spirit— love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, self control…” (Galatians 5:22–23)

When Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the 5000, many followed Him because they enjoyed the food (John 6:26). Their belief was superficial and self-serving.

However when Jesus said,

“Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
— John 6:53

many stopped following Him (John 6:66).

At the last supper Jesus said,

“Drink ye all of it;
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
— Matthew 26:27–28 (KJV)

Drinking His blood means participating in His death, putting off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9) through repentance.

I’ve made it clear in previous videos that I believe all things written in the law and prophets were fulfilled in the first century.

The new heavens and new earth “wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13), is the New Covenant kingdom — a present spiritual reality.

So what is this righteousness? Is it one that allows us to continue in sin because we can’t help it?

Is Christ’s righteousness something we drape over top our old carnal selves? Or does Christ’s righteousness mean being…

“created in Christ Jesus unto good works…” (Ephesians 2:10),

being “created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24),

being “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17),

with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26) that doesn’t want to sin?

According to Revelation, nothing spiritually unclean can enter or abide in the New Jerusalem.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie…”
— Revelation 21:27 (KJV)

There are no weeds in this garden/city, only Abraham’s spiritual seed (Galatians 3:29) — those with the faith of Abraham, producing good fruit (Matthew 7:17) in response to divine influence.

Like a caterpillar, we must weave our own chrysalis, we must die to self before we can emerge a “new creature”, transformed and free.

God forgives our sin, not because we believe Jesus died "in our place” but because we died with Him through repentance proven by deeds (Romans 6:6 Galatians 2:20).

Jesus said,

“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
— John 12:24

When a seed falls into the ground it absorbs the surrounding moisture that softens it’s outer shell causing it to fall away as the new plant emerges from within it. The seed dies in the sense that it gives way to the new plant.

A seed cannot take root in hard, stony, or thorn-filled ground (Matthew 13:3–23). Only in “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) — one prepared by godly sorrow and repentance.

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Just as a wild horse has to be broken before it is useful, God can only work with a broken and contrite heart.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”— Psalm 51:17 (KJV)

If we believe that Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us when we gave mental assent to what He did “in our place,” and that His righteousness hides our true self which is doomed to never stop sinning, we’re like Peter who “followed him afar off” (Luke 22:54).

Jesus requires that we are truly there — eating His flesh, drinking His blood, internalising the kingdom and then living it out in our daily walk from a heart of love.

God bless as you study to show yourself approved.