Christ, Our Substitute
Christ, Our Substitute
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. (2 Cor. 5:21)
He Took Our Sin
The cross of Christ was the scene of the greatest exchange in history. Jesus did not die merely as a moral example or a martyr. He died as our substitute. God made Him “to be sin for us.” That means He carried every moral failure you have ever committed. Every hatred, every deception, every evil lust, every act of selfishness, and every immorality—past, present, and future. You cannot invent a sin that has not already been placed on the shoulders of Jesus Christ. God gathered up as a singular sum the sin of the world and laid it all on Jesus. Then God punished Christ for our sins instead of punishing us. Christ was our great substitute in death. He died so we wouldn’t have to.
We Take His Righteousness
We gave Him our sins; He gives us His righteousness. Righteousness is simply the quality of being good enough for God. Instead of measuring us by our own merits and goodness, God now measures us by the righteousness of Christ. He sees us covered over and filled with the righteousness of Christ. In Christ alone you are good enough for God forever. That’s the great exchange that takes place, and it’s something we can experience moment by moment in our walk with the Lord. The more we understand and believe it, the more thankful we’ll be.
Bottom Line
The gospel of grace offers the good news that a Substitute died in our place for our sins and exchanged His own righteousness for our filthy rags.