Air Date: 09 07 21

In the foreknowledge of God, all this was designed to foreshadow what was to be accomplished by the final, all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. On the cross, the sin of the whole world was transferred to the soul of Jesus. The outcome is described in Isaiah 53: 12: “He poured out His soul unto death.” By His sacrificial, substitutionary death, Jesus made atonement for the sin of the whole human race.

In 2 Corinthians 5: 21 Paul refers to Isaiah 53: 10 and, at the same time, he also presents the positive aspect of the exchange:  For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Paul does not speak here about any kind of righteousness that we can achieve by our own efforts, but about God’s own righteousness – a righteousness that has never known sin. None of us can ever earn this. It is as high above our own righteousness as heaven is above earth. It can be received solely by faith. This third aspect of the exchange may be summed up as follows: Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.

Glory and Acceptance —  The exchange at the cross covers also the emotional forms of suffering that follow from man’s iniquity. Here again, Jesus endured the evil that we in turn might enjoy the good. Two of the cruelest wounds brought upon us by our iniquity are shame and rejection. Both these came upon Jesus on the cross.

Listen to Abiding in Christ Ministries with radio host Lesha Cantrell Monday through Friday at 6:45am (MT) on AM670, KLTT in Colorado; online at 670kltt.com; or via your mobile device on the free KLTT app. May God richly bless you as you abide in Christ