Chapter 5: The Saving Substitute

This chapter spoke of the term many theologians use known as “substitutionary atonement.”  Sproul explained why it was necessary for Jesus to be an unblemished lamb if he was truly going to be the substitute for the wrath we deserved.  While talking about the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, Sproul gave a brief explanation of why it was necessary for the sinless lamb of God to undergo a sacrament which symbolized the cleansing of sin. 

“Before He could go to the cross, before He could fulfill the role of the Lamb of God, before He could make Himself an oblation to satisfy the demands of God’s justice, Jesus had to submit Himself to every detail of ever law God ad given to the nation.  He had to represent His people before the bar of God’s justice in every detail.  Since the law now required that all of the people be baptized, Jesus, too, had to be baptized.  He had to fulfill every single commandment of God if He was to be sinless.  He wasn’t asking John to baptize Him because He needed to be cleansed; He wanted to be baptized so that He could be obedient to His Father in every detail.” -Page 74

I really am curious to know your thoughts about this quote.  I always understood the baptism of Jesus to be the approval of John the Baptist in relation to God.  Some of you may have understood this already and I’ll go ahead and say what you’re thinking (shame on me, the guy with a Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies).  I really enjoyed this chapter.  If you haven’t heard me say it yet, you need to read this book!