Anthony Pritchard
Member
Why a Diminished View of Sin Produces a Diminished Cross
Introductory Explanation
This is an extremely important issue, one that bears directly on the seriousness of sin and what it cost Christ to redeem us. PSA means Penal Substitutionary Atonement. It means that sin has a penalty. It teaches that Christ bore the penalty of sin in our place, that He suffered what we deserved, and that His death satisfies the justice of God so that we may be forgiven. Non PSA denies the penal and substitutionary elements. It teaches that Christ represents humanity, offers His blood to cleanse, and reconciles us without bearing our penalty in our place. PSA speaks of penalty and substitution. Non PSA speaks of cleansing and representation.
The issue before us is the meaning of the cross. Scripture teaches that sin carries a real penalty and that this penalty cannot be ignored or softened. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” PSA affirms this truth. It teaches that Christ bore the penalty of sin in our place, that He suffered what we deserved, and that His death satisfies the justice of God so that we may be forgiven. Non PSA denies the penal and substitutionary elements. It teaches that Christ represents humanity, offers His blood to cleanse, and reconciles us without bearing our penalty in our place. At first the difference may seem small, but it is not small. It is the difference between a cross that pays a debt and a cross that only makes a statement. It is the difference between a Savior who dies instead of us and a Savior who merely dies before us. The question is not academic. It is the heart of the gospel.
Why This Matters So Much
To deny PSA, to deny that there is a penalty to be paid for sin, is to deny the wages of sin. PSA teaches that Christ bore the penalty of sin in our place, that He suffered what we deserved, and that His death satisfies the justice of God so that we may be forgiven. Non PSA denies the penalty. It denies the penal and substitutionary elements. It teaches that Christ represents humanity, offers His blood to cleanse, and reconciles us without bearing our penalty in our place. PSA speaks of penalty and substitution. Non PSA speaks of cleansing and representation.
In the debate over the atonement, the issue is not only that some views shrink the need, but that they diminish the cost. If sin is treated as something less than guilt, then Christ does not bear guilt. If sin does not demand judgment, then Christ does not endure judgment. If sin does not incur wrath, then Christ does not satisfy wrath. Scripture speaks plainly of this wrath. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.” Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” These are not the words of a small cost. They are the words of a holy God meeting a need so deep that only the death of His Son could answer it. When the penalty is removed, the cost collapses, and Christ becomes a martyr instead of a Redeemer. The difference is not academic. It is the difference between a Christ who dies instead of me and a Christ who merely dies before me.
The Issue
The issue is clear. PSA tells the truth about the wrong and the cost. It tells us that sin carries a penalty and that Christ bore that penalty in our place. Non PSA removes the penalty and with it the cost. It shrinks the wrong by treating sin as something less than guilt, and it diminishes the cost by treating the cross as something less than a sacrifice. The question becomes why anyone would walk over the plain teaching of Scripture to take on this error. The answer is that PSA confronts a person with the full weight of their sin and the full price of their redemption. Many do not want a gospel that exposes the depth of their need. They want forgiveness without judgment and reconciliation without wrath. Non PSA offers a cross without offense and a Christ without a burden. But what is gained is only comfort built on denial, and what is lost is the gospel itself.
Why Some Choose a Cross Without Cost
The question becomes why anyone would walk over the plain meaning of Scripture to take on this error. The benefit they imagine is simple. PSA confronts a person with the full weight of their sin and the full price of their redemption. It tells them that their sin deserves death, that the wrath of God is real, and that justice must be satisfied. Many do not want a gospel that exposes the depth of their need. They want forgiveness without judgment and reconciliation without wrath. They want a Christ who affirms rather than atones. Non PSA offers them this. It offers a cross without offense, a Christ without a burden, and a salvation without a Substitute. It removes the penalty and with it the fear of guilt. It allows a person to feel spiritual without ever facing the truth that their sin required the death of the Son of God. What they gain is a sense of comfort, but it is comfort built on denial. What they lose is the gospel itself.
Colophon
This piece was written to speak plainly about the meaning of the cross and the cost of our redemption. My aim is not to win an argument but to hold fast to what Scripture declares without hesitation or softening. The gospel is not improved by removing its weight, and the cross is not made more beautiful by denying its cost. I have written these words so that the reader may see the truth as it stands in the light of Scripture, without the drift that comes when sin is made small and the sacrifice of Christ is made smaller still. My hope is that every believer who reads this will remember that the cross is not a symbol of possibility but the place where the penalty was paid in full.
I leave these words as they are, for the truth of the cross needs no apology.
Crux pretium solvit - The cross has paid the price.
~Tony
© A.K. Pritchard 1979 –
Free to use with proper attribution.