Did Jesus really die instead of us? When the New Testament says that **Jesus died for our sins**, does that automatically mean **penal substitution**—or is there another biblical way to understand the cross?

In this episode of **The Story and the Shape Podcast**, we explore whether Scripture presents Jesus’ death as a case of **substitution**, or whether the Bible more often works with a pattern of **corporate participation**: the idea that people can share in the consequences of a group because they belong to the group.

We look at key biblical passages and themes including:

* **Achan and corporate guilt** in Joshua 7

* **Adamic humanity** and why “in Adam all die” matters

* **Jesus entering Israel’s story** as well as humanity’s story

* **Isaiah 53** and whether it really teaches penal substitution

* **Galatians 3** and the meaning of “the curse of the law”

* **2 Corinthians 5** and what it means that Christ was “made to be sin”

* **1 Peter 2** and participation in Christ’s suffering and death

The big question of this episode is whether Jesus died **instead of us**, or whether he entered fully into the human condition and **shared in the consequences of human sin** in order to bring us through death into resurrection life.

If you’ve ever wrestled with questions around **atonement theology**, **penal substitutionary atonement (PSA)**, **the meaning of the cross**, or how to read verses like *“Christ died for our sins”* in context, this conversation is for you.

00:00 – Jesus Died “For Our Sins”?

01:06 – Achan: One Sin, Many Suffer

05:10 – The Bible’s Corporate Worldview

07:45 – Jesus Joined Adamic Humanity

12:10 – Jesus Enters Israel’s Story

16:03 – Participation in Christ’s Death

18:13 – Isaiah 53 Reconsidered

21:21 – The Curse of the Law

27:29 – He Entered Our Story in Love

36:13 – Participation, Not Substitution?

In this episode we explore three major sacrifices in Israel’s story - Passover, the Covenant ratification at Sinai, and the Day of Atonement. Far from working the same way, each one uses blood differently and plays a unique role in the bigger narrative.

We examine what the blood is actually doing in each case and why the common assumption of penal substitution doesn’t line up with the biblical story. A foundational episode for understanding how the New Testament applies sacrificial imagery to Jesus.

00:00 Three Sacrifices, One Story

02:15 Recap: Blood & Relationship

03:36 Passover – The Warding Blood

05:18 Dismantling Substitution

11:48 Blood as Life & Protection

13:35 Covenant at Sinai

15:16 Blood of the Covenant

21:18 Sealing the Relationship

27:46 Day of Atonement – Cleansing

33:19 The Scapegoat & Removal

35:35 One Story, Three Functions

38:30 Final Thoughts & Next Time

Why did animals actually die in biblical sacrifice? In Episode 6 of the podcast, we challenge the standard courtroom framework of Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) and explore how ancient Israelite sacrifice was really about relational gift-giving, life, and purification.

For many modern Christians, the default view of biblical sacrifice is a legal transaction: an animal dies as a substitute to suffer the death penalty for a person's sin. But does this courtroom model actually hold up under biblical scrutiny? In this episode, we put a spanner in the works of standard PSA logic by looking at the actual mechanics of Levitical law. We discuss why "sin offerings" were required for completely non-moral things like childbirth, skin diseases, mildewed houses, and even inanimate objects like the altar itself.

If blood doesn't represent a demand for death and punishment, what does it mean? We dive into the ancient perspective that blood symbolizes a potent force of life - the ultimate ritual cleaning agent used to push back the forces of death, mortality, and ritual decay so that a holy God can dwell among his people.

This episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/jEJbA_vF1Ec

Books Mentioned:

- "Leviticus on the Butcher's Block" by Phil Bray (YouTube: Leviticus is Fun)

- "Lamb of the Free" by Andrew Rillera

00:00 - The Distortion of Biblical Sacrifice

02:06 - Debunking the Courtroom Model (PSA)

06:36 - Israel's Actual Criminal Justice System

08:21 - The Throne Room: Relationship & Gift-Giving

09:48 - Why the Priests Offered God "Food"

13:57 - The Shared Meal: Participating with God

18:10 - The Real Reason the Animal Dies

21:12 - The Logic of Blood Atonement & Cleansing

28:33 - Sin Offerings for Altars, Houses, & Childbirth

34:32 - Where Sin Offerings Appear in the Gospels

38:18 - Does the Sacrificial System Support PSA?