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The words for us (eg. Rom. 14:15) -- Christ died for us -- do not signify "in our place or in our stead", but rather "because of us", as even the apostle says expressly in 1 Cor. 8:11. From the word redeem it is not possible to infer the doctrine of satisfaction. This is plain, as it is written by God that He redeemed His people out of Egypt, He accomplished redemption for His people (1Chronicles 17:21). It is said that God redeemed Abraham (Isaiah 29:22) and David (Psalm 31:5-6); we are "redeemed from our iniquities" (Titus 2:14) or "our vain conversation" (1 Peter 1:18) or "from the curse of the Law" (Galatians 3:13). It is certain that God did not in these instances give satisfaction to anyone, nor can it be said that our iniquities, or vain conversations, or the Law, were satisfied.

The word redemption means simply liberation. Furthermore, it is said concerning the death of Christ that he liberated us by it, because by means of its taking place we have obtained liberation, both from the sins themselves, that we no longer serve them, and from the punishment for them, that being snatched from the jaws of eternal death we may live forever.

There is a very great similarity between liberation and redemption properly so called. For as in redemption in the proper accepted sense of the word there must be a captive and the one who holds him captive, so also in our liberation there is a captive person. Those who hold him captive are sin, the world, the devil and death. Redeemers of the captive are God and Christ, and the price of redemption is the giving of Christ himself. But there is no one who receives anything to affect this liberation. It is a metaphorical term.

Scripture gives to Christ the name of mediator because he sanctified the new covenant and set forth the whole will of God, by reason of which access to God has been opened up to us.

Nowhere in Scripture is it asserted that God is reconciled to us by Christ, but rather that by Christ's death we are reconciled to God, as may be seen from all passages which deal with this reconciliation. Therefore in no way from all these passages is

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satisfaction to be inferred. Furthermore, the fact that it stands expressly in Scripture that "God reconciled us to Himself" proves that the theory of our adversaries is false (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20, 22).

It is necessary for Christ Jesus to have shown the way to us -- who because of our sins were enemies of God and alienated from Him -- whereby we might be turned towards God and thus be reconciled to Him.¹⁸⁸

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