Think of it Like a Big Brother

How do you explain the gospel?

How do you explain what Jesus did for people

                                                                               for me

                                                                               for you on the cross?

Lots of good theological terms exist to explain what happened:

               propitiation

               atonement

               imputation

But, sometimes, the big words can actually make things more confusing. Actually cloud the issue instead of clarifying it.

So, how should we explain the gospel?

Think about it this way.

Let’s imagine that you are a kid and that you have disobeyed a parent. Doesn’t matter what you’ve done, but whatever it is, you know that you deserve a spanking. [This is not a post about corporal punishment. That's for another time. This is about the classic Christian doctrine of substitutionary atonement.]

And you are not going to argue with your dad. You know you did it. You know that you deserve a punishment.

And imagine that as you are talking to your dad something

incredible

                                                                                                       amazing

                                                                                                       unbelievable happens.

Your big brother walks through the door and says, “Dad, I know that he deserves a punishment. But I want to take his punishment. Spank me instead.”

This is the way I usually explain the gospel to kids. And once I get to this point, I consistently hear, “Why would they do that?”

Because your big brother, in this analogy, loves you.

Because Jesus, in the real world, loves you.

That is what happened on the cross. Jesus went to the heavenly Father and took our punishment for us. Over and over again the Bible presents the reality that rebellious humanity [and that includes everyone not named Jesus of Nazareth] rightly deserves judgment from God.

We deserve punishment.

And God is a righteous God. He cannot just excuse sin and wrong.

A bad parent excuses wrong behavior.

A bad judge excuses wrong behavior.

God is perfect on both counts. He cannot just ignore sin. He would not be righteous. He would not be good. He would not be God.

But He can allow another to take it for us. But this ‘other’ would have to be one that wouldn’t deserve any punishment. At all. Period.

This ‘other’ would have to be perfect.

This ‘other’ would have to be God.

Jesus, the true union of God and man, had no sin for which to pay. Had no guilt or shame.

He deserved no punishment. So He took ours. He paid it for us.

That is what happened on the cross.

That is the gospel.