When the Lord Jesus was crucified, He not only died in the place of sinners so as to open for them a living way to God and give them eternal life, He took sinners with Him to the cross as well. If the effect of the cross were limited to the substitutional side—that is to say, were limited to that which causes sinners not to perish but have eternal life, the salvation of God would be incomplete. For the one who has believed in Jesus Christ and been saved (see Acts 16.31) still lives in a world where temptations are many and the Devil is actively deceiving people. Furthermore, the sinful nature within the believer frequently bestirs itself so that in spite of his being saved he finds he is not able to overcome sin and be free from it in this present world.
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