Penal Substitution refers to an understanding of the doctrine of the atonement in which Christ has taken the sin of the world into Himself and died in order to pay the penalty (penal) for sin instead of us (substitution) (1 Peter 2:24). Christ atones for our sins as He takes our guilt, so that we might be forgiven and His righteousness might become ours (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:21-26, 1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10). This penal substitution was pictured in the Old Testament sacrifice system, particularly in Leviticus 16, which describes the Day of Atonement. Hebrews 7-10 describes how this Old Testament pattern of sacrifice is a forerunner or shadow of the great sacrifice that was made by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:1).
