"The concept of substitution may be said, then, to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone." - John Stott
Substitution is what plunged mankind into sin. Adam put himself in the place of God and attempted to assume jurisdictions which he was not authorized to enter. Sin is man putting himself in the place of God and assuming the sovereignty and freedom afforded only to holiness. God solved the sin of this particular scenario through substitution. He sent His Son to take on flesh which would take on the sin of the elect. He who knew no sin became sin in order to save those caught in the sin of substituting themselves for God. He, who was God, set aside His claim to deity in order to claim our sin as His. He substituted Himself in our place for our sin after living in our place for our righteousness.
Substitution led the world into darkness.
Substitution retrieved her back into the light.
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