Justification of the ungodly

Particularly noticeable in the construal of substitution as the action of a sadistic Father is the absence of any perception that the torturing to death of the only Son is related to the fall of Adam. In these critiques, there is no suggestion that the torturers themselves might be playing a part here, even if “they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Anyone seeking to caricature the crucifixion as the hateful action of a vindictive father does not understand what is happening: namely, the justification of the ungodly (Rom. 4:5; 5:6—9). In these critiques there is always more than a hint that the critic does not include himself or herself among the perpetrators.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 497n82 (emphasis original)