38 Bible Verses about Substitution

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

“See, I have taken the Levites from the Israelites in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, because every firstborn belongs to Me. At the time I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated every firstborn in Israel to Myself, both man and animal. They are Mine; I am Yahweh.”

But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites.

If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.”

The prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you released from your hand the man I had set apart for destruction, it will be your life in place of his life and your people in place of his people.’”

Our fathers sinned; they no longer exist,
but we bear their punishment.

“Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side.

He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites’ wrongdoings and rebellious acts—all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on it all their wrongdoings into a desolate land, and he will release it there.

must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for you to be accepted. You are not to present anything that has a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
and He carried our pains;
but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
crushed because of our iniquities;
punishment for our peace was on Him,
and we are healed by His wounds.
We all went astray like sheep;
we all have turned to our own way;
and the Lord has punished Him
for the iniquity of us all.

so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

He Himself took our weaknesses
and carried our diseases.

when He was reviled,
He did not revile in return;
when He was suffering,
He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.
He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the tree,
so that, having died to sins,
we might live for righteousness;
you have been healed by His wounds.
For you were like sheep going astray,
but you have now returned
to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

because zeal for Your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult You
have fallen on me.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”

For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly.

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

You’re not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”

For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.

For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died.

and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.

who gave Himself—a ransom for all,
a testimony at the proper time.

He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works.

But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death.

For you were called to this,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example,
so that you should follow in His steps.

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

He Himself bore our sins
in His body on the tree,
so that, having died to sins,
we might live for righteousness;
you have been healed by His wounds.

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
that He might bring you to God,
after being put to death in the fleshly realm
but made alive in the spiritual realm.

He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.

No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

Now if You would only forgive their sin. But if not, please erase me from the book You have written.”

For I could almost wish to be cursed and cut off from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood.