How to Answer the Question About "Penal Substitution"

This is not part of the Orthodox view of atonement or salvation. Christ died to show us the way to our resurrection and union with Him with eternal life in His kingdom.. We have free will so to be saved we must learn to use this in harmony with His will. It’s a process of growing into His likeness by following all He has commanded. No substitution. We are responsible for our sins. His Crucifixion opened the door in His Resurrection, even more importantly in the Incarnation, for us to become worthy, perfected, to enter His kingdom.

In Orthodox theology, the understanding of Christ’s work on the cross is not as a penal substitution but as a healing act. Christ’s death is seen as the ultimate act of love and self-sacrifice, through which He heals the broken relationship between God and humanity. Sin is understood as a disease or corruption that needs to be healed rather than a legal debt that requires punishment. The cross is the means by which Christ restores human nature, freeing it from the power of sin, death, and the devil. Through His death and resurrection, Christ conquers death and offers new life to all humanity.

The Orthodox Church emphasizes Christ as Victor model of atonement, where Christ’s death and resurrection are viewed as His victory over the powers of sin, death, and Satan. The cross is not primarily about satisfying divine justice in a legal sense but about defeating the enemies of humanity and restoring us to communion with God. This victory is not just a legal transaction but a cosmic event that transforms all of creation, liberating it from the bondage of sin and death.

Another element of Orthodox soteriology is the concept of theosis, or deification, which teaches that Christ became man so that humans might become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The cross is the culmination of the Incarnation, where Christ unites Himself with our fallen humanity to heal, restore, and elevate it to union with God. This understanding shifts the focus from legal satisfaction to the transformative and relational aspects of salvation. Christ’s suffering and death are seen as the ultimate act of love, inviting us into a restored relationship with God, where we are called to grow in holiness and participation in the divine life.