Substitution lies at the heart of sin and salvation

I think I’ve linked to it before, but Of First Importance is one of my favourite blogs. Each day they have a quote to remind you of what is ‘of first importance’. Here’s a Stott quote from a couple of days ago:

“The concept of substitution may be said . . . to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accept penalties which belong to man alone.” John R.W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1986), 160.