Schreiner reviews Gathercole’s new book on Substitution

Credo Magazine contributor Thomas Schreiner has written a book review of Simon Gathercole’s new book Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul (Acadia Studies in Bible and Theology) on The Gospel Coalition website.

Here is the start of the review:

Simon Gathercole’s work on the New Perspective on Paul, synoptic Christology, gnostic gospel writings, and other matters is well known. His latest book, Defending Substitution: An Essay on Atonement in Paul, examines the issue of substitution in the writings of the apostle.

Originating in various lectures, Defending Substitution retains Gathercole’s lecture style, which also accounts for its brevity. The senior lecturer in New Testament studies at the University of Cambridge structures the book in simple fashion. Chapter one distills some objections to substitution from various New Testament scholars, and chapters two and three set forth a defense of substitution in Paul. (Gathercole examines 1 Corinthians 15:3 and Romans 5:6–8 respectively.) He sums up his case in the conclusion.

Modest Goal

Gathercole begins by considering the importance of substitution both for our understanding of the gospel and also for our personal lives. He defines substitution as Christ dying in our place so that he dies “instead of us.” Gathercole carefully delineates what he’s trying to do from what he’s not trying to do in this work. He’s simply defending substitution; he’s not defending penal substitution. He admits non-penal substitution does exist, as with the live goat in Leviticus 16:21 sent into the wilderness (but not put to death) bearing the sins of Israel.

Gathercole also frequently notes that the notion of substitution doesn’t rule out other atonement themes, such as representation. Still, substitution and representation aren’t the same thing: substitution “entails the concept of replacement,” whereas Christ “embodies” his people but doesn’t suffer instead of them in his representation. Gathercole’s goal here isn’t to defend propitiatory substitution or substitution as satisfaction for sins. Certainly, substitution and propitiation/satisfaction are often closely related, and he isn’t denying they may be part of Paul’s understanding. His intention is simply more modest: to show Paul teaches substitution.

Answering the Critics 

Gathercole also briefly considers some objections to substitution. For instance, many opponents reject substitution as a legal fiction, as immoral, as philosophically objectionable (according to Kant and others who have followed him), and as incompatible with the physical death of believers. Though Gathercole doesn’t respond to these charges in-depth, he does say the legal fiction accusation reflects an individualistic view of human identity that doesn’t accord with Scripture. Moreover, the claim that substitution is immoral doesn’t persuade since God substitutes himself and Christ willingly and gladly gives his life for sinners. Christians throughout history have received the teaching of substitution gladly, and it has filled them with joy and praise. Gathercole then turns the Kantian objection aside because it “threatens both the freedom and mercy of God” (13). Having said all this, though, Gathercole believes the most important objection is exegetical, and he turns to that matter in the remainder of the book. …

Read the rest of this review at TGC.