S
Is it?
Let us use common sense here.
The premise of Penal Substitution is a forensic or positional legal transaction. It is taught that the actual sinners sin (all of it, past, present and future) is credited to the account of Jesus and Jesus is then punished as a substitute for the sinner. It is also taught that the obedient track record of Jesus is then credited to the account of the sinner and God then looks at the sinner and pretends they are righteous.
Thus under this "cloak" provided by the Penal Substitution model the sinner can sin without undergoing the penalty for the sin.
That is a license to sin.
License - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Now an adherent of Penal Substitution is never going to say that God has given them "permission" to engage in an "otherwise unlawful activity" of course, what they will say though is that if one does in fact engage in the unlawful activity that the penalty due has already been paid for.
It is kind of like having all one's future speeding fines paid for in advance by some benefactor. Whilst one "ought" not speed, if one does then the legal penalty is already paid. So in practical effect the driver has a license to speed.
The Bible does not teach anything close to that.
The Bible teaches that the "wages of sin is death" and that the "gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ."
Those are TWO ROADS or TWO PATHS not "fine not paid for" or "fine paid for."
We know this because the Bible says this...
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is "no condemnation" for those IN Christ Jesus. Those IN Christ Jesus don't WALK after the flesh, they WALK after the Spirit.
This is because the "law of the Spirit of life IN Jesus Christ" is what sets us free from the law of sin and death, not by a "fine paid" but rather by a WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT.
Jesus came to planet Earth in the flesh and condemned sin in a flesh body (He overcame it) and the reason He did this was so that the "righteousness of the law" be fulfilled IN us. With a fulfilled righteousness IN us (pure hearts) due to us WALKING after the Spirit we no longer "sin unto death." Thus we are set free from the law of sin and death by the Spirit of life IN Jesus Christ. Hence the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ.
Paul stated...
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Whom we OBEY reveals whom we belong to. We either obey "sin unto death" (ie. earn sins wages) or we obey unto righteousness (abide in Jesus Christ WALKING after the Spirit). This is why it is OBEDIENCE FROM THE HEART that SETS US FREE FROM SIN and produces a SERVANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
That is what the Bible so plainly and obviously teaches. It is as plain as the nose on anyone's face. It is black and white. It is as clear as day.
Penal Substitution totally destroys what I have written above by substituting it with a mere notion of a POSITION held which is totally disconnected from DOING. In general, any teaching that requires DOING is utterly rejected by the Penal Substitution adherents because they view DOING as being a WORKS SALVATION and they abhor the notion of that because it implies ADDING SOMETHING to the LEGAL PROVISION EXCHANGE they believe.
The truth is that when the Bible speaks of "not of works" it is speaking of "outward deeds done apart from 'grace THROUGH faith'" which are dead deeds because there is no spiritual root in them. We have to plug into God so to speak so that His Spirit works through us and we walk according to it.
This is all common sense.
Remember...
Sins paid for = sins not forgiven.
A fine paid for is not a fine forgiven. Common sense. Yet many throw reason out the window because they find an emotional comfort in magical teachings like Penal Substitution.
Let us use common sense here.
The premise of Penal Substitution is a forensic or positional legal transaction. It is taught that the actual sinners sin (all of it, past, present and future) is credited to the account of Jesus and Jesus is then punished as a substitute for the sinner. It is also taught that the obedient track record of Jesus is then credited to the account of the sinner and God then looks at the sinner and pretends they are righteous.
Thus under this "cloak" provided by the Penal Substitution model the sinner can sin without undergoing the penalty for the sin.
That is a license to sin.
License - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Now an adherent of Penal Substitution is never going to say that God has given them "permission" to engage in an "otherwise unlawful activity" of course, what they will say though is that if one does in fact engage in the unlawful activity that the penalty due has already been paid for.
It is kind of like having all one's future speeding fines paid for in advance by some benefactor. Whilst one "ought" not speed, if one does then the legal penalty is already paid. So in practical effect the driver has a license to speed.
The Bible does not teach anything close to that.
The Bible teaches that the "wages of sin is death" and that the "gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ."
Those are TWO ROADS or TWO PATHS not "fine not paid for" or "fine paid for."
We know this because the Bible says this...
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There is "no condemnation" for those IN Christ Jesus. Those IN Christ Jesus don't WALK after the flesh, they WALK after the Spirit.
This is because the "law of the Spirit of life IN Jesus Christ" is what sets us free from the law of sin and death, not by a "fine paid" but rather by a WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT.
Jesus came to planet Earth in the flesh and condemned sin in a flesh body (He overcame it) and the reason He did this was so that the "righteousness of the law" be fulfilled IN us. With a fulfilled righteousness IN us (pure hearts) due to us WALKING after the Spirit we no longer "sin unto death." Thus we are set free from the law of sin and death by the Spirit of life IN Jesus Christ. Hence the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ.
Paul stated...
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Whom we OBEY reveals whom we belong to. We either obey "sin unto death" (ie. earn sins wages) or we obey unto righteousness (abide in Jesus Christ WALKING after the Spirit). This is why it is OBEDIENCE FROM THE HEART that SETS US FREE FROM SIN and produces a SERVANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
That is what the Bible so plainly and obviously teaches. It is as plain as the nose on anyone's face. It is black and white. It is as clear as day.
Penal Substitution totally destroys what I have written above by substituting it with a mere notion of a POSITION held which is totally disconnected from DOING. In general, any teaching that requires DOING is utterly rejected by the Penal Substitution adherents because they view DOING as being a WORKS SALVATION and they abhor the notion of that because it implies ADDING SOMETHING to the LEGAL PROVISION EXCHANGE they believe.
The truth is that when the Bible speaks of "not of works" it is speaking of "outward deeds done apart from 'grace THROUGH faith'" which are dead deeds because there is no spiritual root in them. We have to plug into God so to speak so that His Spirit works through us and we walk according to it.
This is all common sense.
Remember...
Sins paid for = sins not forgiven.
A fine paid for is not a fine forgiven. Common sense. Yet many throw reason out the window because they find an emotional comfort in magical teachings like Penal Substitution.
Faith is displayed by works.
If you have issue with the sacrifice of Christ being sufficient, then you claim a works based salvation, refuted by all the Apostles and Christ Himself.