Our Substitute

So what is the Gospel? He tells us in verses 3‑4. The Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The Gospel, the good news, is that Jesus died on the cross, He was buried, and He rose again from the dead on the third day. So why is that good news? First, because He died for our sins. He died as our substitute. You see, those who have no relationship with God are condemned and under the wrath of God, and ultimately heading for Hell because they have sinned against God. They have violated every law that God has given them. They flagrantly live their own life and do their own thing as they thumb their nose at God. But those who have a relationship have been rescued from Hell. How do they get rescued? How do you move from no relationship to a relationship with God? Someone has to pay the price for your sin.

God is a just God. God demands that sin be paid for. How is that sin going to be paid for? Either you are going to die and go to Hell to pay for your own sin for all of eternity, or you are going to take the way that God has provided to pay for your sin so that you can have a relationship with Him. What is the way that God has provided? It is the Gospel, the good news. What is the good news? It is that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. But specifically that He died for our sins. He died in our place. He took our place and died for us.

The death of Jesus Christ in our place is called substitution. It is as if you had been sentenced in some court of law and had to pay a five thousand dollar fine. But someone else walked up, pulled out the cash and paid the fine for you. They mark your fine, “Paid in Full.” The law would no longer have any recourse. They would have no more claim on you. They could no longer come after you and say, “You owe this money.” That is exactly what Jesus did when He died on the cross. He paid for the sin of mankind, dying as our substitute. He became our Redeemer, the one who bought us back.