“How, when Jesus was on the cross, did He take on all human sin as God forsook Him?” This question that has puzzled theologians for centuries takes us straight to the heart of Christian theology more specifically Christian soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), confronting one of the most profound and mysterious doctrines of our faith: the atonement. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is not just a historical event but a theological blueprint that centers on the dual nature of Christ, fully divine yet fully human, enabling Him to act as the perfect mediator between God and mankind. The very essence of this act of bearing sin lies in understanding the depth of God’s love adjacent with the severity of God’s justice, a paradox where Christ, experiences forsakenness to reconcile humanity to Himself.
This event, often encapsulated by Jesus’ cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), presents a moment of apparent divine abandonment. Here, the eternal Son of God, who has never known separation from the Father, feels the weight of human sin in His humanity. Theologically, this moment signifies the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity, where Jesus, in His divine capacity, takes upon Himself the sinfulness of the world, and in His human capacity, endures the consequence of that sin, which is separation from God. This dual reality of being both God and man allowing for a view of or similar to substitutionary atonement where Christ bears the penalty of sin, not as a mere symbol, but in a real, existential way, thereby providing redemption and reconciliation for all who believe.
Table of Contents
Response
Theologically, this moment is often described as Jesus experiencing the full wrath of God against sin, which is a metaphorical way of expressing the separation from God’s presence that sin causes. This separation, though, is not an ontological break from the Trinity but an experiential one, where Jesus, in His humanity, feels the absence of the Father’s presence due to the sin He bears. This is encapsulated in His cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” which echoes the depth of His suffering and the realness of His substitution.
The idea that God forsook Jesus is a theological paradox because, in essence, God cannot forsake Himself; yet, in His human capacity, Jesus experiences this forsakenness. This dual perspective highlights the mystery of the Incarnation, where the infinite God becomes finite man, capable of bearing the infinite weight of human sin.
This act on the cross demonstrates both God’s justice, where sin must be dealt with, and His mercy, where He Himself provides the sacrifice. Jesus, being sinless, becomes the perfect offering for sin, satisfying divine justice while simultaneously executing divine love. His death is seen as a ransom, a propitiation, and a demonstration of God’s love, where He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
A response that I really appropriate is one by Norman Warren, an Anglican priest and author. He writes: “On the cross Jesus took on himself all the effects of human sin; all the feelings of isolation and abandonment, all the pain and suffering, all the rejection and anger of the whole of humanity. Just before he died, Jesus cried out, ‘It is finished!’ His work of saving us from sin and death and hell was complete. These words can also mean that a debt is paid. The huge debt of human sin was paid once and for all. The way back to God and to full forgiveness is wide open. The bridge has been reopened between God and us. Friendship to God is there for all who come to Jesus in love and trust.”
Biblical Defense
In Matthew 27:46, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This important moment, echoing Psalm 22:1, captures not only the physical agony of the crucifixion but also the deep rooted spiritual reality of divine abandonment. This cry is often interpreted as Jesus experiencing the full brunt of divine wrath against sin, taking upon Himself the separation from God that sin incurs. This moment is pivotal in understanding how Jesus could bear all human sin; He becomes sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Furthermore, Psalm 22 is one of the most messianic psalms, traditionally understood by both Jewish and Christian interpreters as prophetic of the Messiah’s suffering. The psalm vividly describes the experiences of Jesus during His crucifixion:
- Verse 1 sets the tone with the cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” which Jesus quotes from the cross, indicating not only His feeling of abandonment but also invoking the entire psalm as a prophetic narrative of His suffering.
- Verse 16 speaks of the piercing of hands and feet, which directly corresponds to the crucifixion, “They have pierced my hands and my feet.”
- Verse 18 describes the division of the Messiah’s garments, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment,” exactly mirroring the actions of the soldiers at the cross as described in Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, and John 19:24.
- Verse 21-End shifts the mood of the psalm dramatically, illustrating how God has always remained steadfast, never forsaking us.
This psalm, therefore, not only prefigures the physical suffering of the Messiah but also His spiritual anguish, providing a biblical framework for understanding how Jesus’ crucifixion was both an act of divine abandonment for sin and yet part of God’s plan for redemption. The psalm ends on a note of triumph and universal praise (Psalm 22:22-31), which we as Christians generally see as fulfilled in the resurrection, thus linking Jesus’ suffering with His victory over sin and death.
Substitutionary Atonement
The Apostle Paul articulates this substitutionary atonement in 2 Corinthians 5:21, stating, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Here, the transfer of sin from humanity to Christ is explicit. Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin. A shocking paradox that highlights the depth of the atonement. This wasn’t just a judicial declaration but involved Christ bearing the actual burden of sin, its guilt, and its consequences.
1 Peter 2:24 further elaborates on this theme, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” This passage emphasizes the physical act of bearing sins, not just legally or symbolically, but in His very body. The imagery of the “tree” recalls Deuteronomy 21:23, where hanging on a tree signifies being under God’s curse, indicating Jesus took upon Himself the curse due to our sin.
John the Baptizer’s declaration in John 1:29, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” sets the stage for understanding Jesus’ role from the outset of His ministry. This title links Jesus with the Passover lamb whose blood saved the Israelites from death, and with the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, where the lamb bore the people’s sins in a symbolic act of atonement. You can read a deeper study in my article “The Lamb of God! From Genesis to Jesus.” This is just scratching the surface of the atonement. But for now lets take a look at what others had to say, throughout church history.
Historical Defense
Irenaeus, in his work “Against Heresies,” articulates the concept of recapitulation, where Christ, by His obedience, undoes the disobedience of Adam. He writes, “He came to save all by means of Himself, all, I say, who through Him are born again to God, infants, and children, and boys, and youths, and old men.” Here, Irenaeus implies a universal scope of Christ’s atonement, suggesting that His life, death, and resurrection were not merely for personal salvation but for the restoration of all humanity. Through His life, Christ lived out perfect obedience to the Father, and on the cross, He bore the sins that humanity could not bear itself, thus recapitulating and redeeming humanity’s history. (I am personally not a Universalist)
Athanasius, in “On the Incarnation,” offers insights into the necessity of Christ’s dual nature for atonement. He explains, “He, indeed, assumed humanity that we might become God. He manifested Himself by means of a body that we might perceive the Mind of the unseen Father. He endured shame from men that we might inherit immortality.” Through this, Athanasius outlines that Christ’s assumption of human flesh was not just for solidarity but for substitution, enabling Him to bear human sin in His body. The divine nature allowed Him to endure what human nature alone could not: the divine judgment against sin.
Cyril a prominent Church Father and Doctor of the Church, who played a pivotal role in the Council of Ephesus, further develops this theme in his writings, especially in his commentary on the Gospel of John. He states, “For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven and became flesh by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” Cyril’s insistence on the one person of Christ having two natures—fully divine and fully human—underscores the capacity of Christ to act as the perfect mediator. This mediator not only stands between God and man but also takes upon Himself the sins of mankind, something only possible through His unique ontological status.
The Council of Chalcedon, while primarily concerned with clarifying the nature of Christ against various heresies, implicitly supports this doctrine. It affirmed that Christ is “perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man,” which theological tradition interprets as enabling Christ to bear sin in a manner that neither a mere man nor a mere divine essence could. This duality allowed for the divine act of forsakenness without diminishing His divine nature.
Anselm, though later, contributed significantly to the understanding of atonement in his work “Cur Deus Homo?” (Why God Became Man), where he discusses satisfaction theory. Anselm argues, “It was fitting for God to take upon Himself our nature, that He might make atonement for us.” His theory posits that Christ’s death was necessary to pay the debt of sin humanity owed to God, which aligns with the notion of Christ bearing sin. His divine nature provided the infinite value needed to satisfy God’s justice, while his human nature made it possible for Him to die.
Aquinas in his “Summa Theologica” combines many of the previous thoughts, explaining, “Christ by His passion delivered us from our sins causally, that is to say, He set us free by the causality of merit.” Aquinas’s causal explanation of Christ’s atonement integrates the concept of Christ’s suffering as the means through which sin’s merit is transferred from humanity to Him, thereby allowing for a forensic understanding of salvation where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers.
Luther, the primary figure in the Reformation, also contributed to the understanding of Christ’s atonement. In his “Heidelberg Disputation”, Luther explores the theology of the cross, emphasizing that God’s righteousness is revealed in the suffering and humility of Christ. Luther writes, “The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it.” For Luther, Christ on the cross is not just bearing sin passively but actively taking upon Himself the sinfulness of humanity to create a new reality where sinners are justified by faith. This view aligns with the Lutheran doctrine of forensic justification, where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the believer, and their sin is imputed to Christ.
The Real Question
The obvious struggle most people have with Jesus’ declaration is the term “forsaken.” When Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His statement directly confronts our understanding of the relationship within the Trinity. This moment has been interpreted in various ways as can be seen in the Historical Defense section, but its core suggests a spiritual and existential experience of abandonment.
This statement, echoing the words of Psalm 22, is not merely an expression of physical agony but signifies a deeper spiritual reality. Theologians have debated whether this represents an actual breaking of the Trinitarian relationship or if it’s more about Jesus’ human perception of separation from the divine due to the weight of human sin He bore. Here are several considerations regarding this “forsakenness”:
Firstly, this declaration points to the reality of Jesus’ human experience. In His incarnation, Jesus fully embraced human nature, including the capacity to feel the ultimate loneliness and despair of being cut off from God. This moment encapsulates the human condition of sin, which separates us from God. Jesus, by experiencing this forsakenness, touches the very depths of human suffering, making His empathy complete.
Secondly, this forsakenness can be seen as a judicial act. In the theology of substitutionary atonement, Christ takes upon Himself the sin of the world. When sin is laid upon Him, He experiences the consequence of sin, which is separation from God and death. This isn’t to say that the Trinity was literally broken, but rather, in His human role, Jesus felt the full brunt of the divine wrath against sin, which is death.
Moreover, Jesus’ cry could also be understood as a fulfillment of His role as the suffering servant described in Isaiah 53:5, where “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.” This forsakenness is not an end in itself but serves as the climax of His atoning work, where He becomes the sin offering, taking on our curse so that we might inherit His blessing (Galatians 3:13).
The term “forsaken” also invites believers into a contemplation of divine mystery. It’s a paradox that the eternal Son could feel forsaken by the Father, yet this very paradox underscores the depth of His love and sacrifice. It’s a moment where theology meets raw human emotion, providing a framework for understanding both divine justice and mercy.
Ultimately, the forsakenness of Christ on the cross serves as a testament to the severity of sin and the extent of God’s love. It’s not just an event of divine abandonment but a moment where God’s love envelops human despair, transforming it through the resurrection. This moment of forsakenness, therefore, isn’t just about separation but about the path through which reconciliation is made possible. It’s the ultimate act of solidarity with humanity in our sinfulness, leading to our ultimate redemption. I hope this article has served you well. I understand the atonement is extremely complicated, furthermore I understand that the term forsaken can be extremely daunting for many. While I tend to make an appeal to mystery I hope that the various reasons I mentioned in this article have blessed you and strengthened your faith.
Some sources:
- Warren, Norman. Why Believe? Answers to Key Questions about the Christian Faith. Lion Books, 2012.
- Against Heresies (Book II, Chapter 22). CHURCH FATHERS: Against Heresies, II.22 (St. Irenaeus), www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103222.htm.
- Part One Section Two I. The Creeds Chapter Two I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God Artcile 3 He Was Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, and Was Born of the Virgin Mary, www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_two/chapter_two/artcile_3.html.
- The Summa Theologica. Summa Theologica, www.ccel.org/a/aquinas/summa/TP/TP049.html.
- Luther’s Works – Vol. 31: Career of the Reformer (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999), 57–58.
