When we choose to become a Christian, God places our sin on Jesus and places the righteous of Jesus on us.Text: 2 Corinthians 5:21We are all well acquainted with sin. It has been there most of our lives. Due to its frequent visits, many of us have developed a thorough understanding of its subtle influences and deceptive ways. Despite our familiarity, we are often rendered helpless by sins ability to bypass our willpower and to create within us the desire to have what we cannot and should not while filling us with pride, hatred, jealousy and the want of more. Promising pleasure, freedom, and satisfaction it delivers shame, brokenness and destruction. Adding to the pain that comes with sin is our consciousness of God. Having the awareness that there is a holy and perfect being to whom we are accountable makes the times we surrender to sin even more conspicuous. Even if we currently deny God’s existence, it can be hard to escape the nagging feeling that there is the possibility of a powerful creator to whom we must eventually face. For Christians, sins presence after salvation can be particularly troublesome, especially when we find ourselves caught in the same pattern of behaviour that we have tried to overcome many times before. Experiencing shame, we doubt God’s grace wondering does He still want me and am I still saved? Then to make up for our sin, we endeavour to do more good and be more faithful in the hope it gains God’s favour. However, such striving does little, in the end, to provide us with peace. Having no other options, we are left to ask, “how can I finally stand before God with joy and confidence in my salvation? The answer is: accepting that your salvation rests upon the work of Jesus on the cross.2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”. Although we are familiar with sin and its workings, it is clear from 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Jesus wasn’t. He certainly felt sins temptations but He never entertained it or allowed it to enter His life. Even though He was human like you and me, He knew no sin. As a sinless human being, He deserved honour. But, what He received was rejection, scorn, shame and punishment. He was treated as a sinner so that we don’t have to be. By His sacrifice, He took on the sins of the world. When we choose to believe in Jesus and submit to Him, God accepts the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross as a consequence of our sin and transfers Christ’s sinlessness to us. Consequently, He can then look upon us as righteous. Being then no longer defined by sin but by our relationship with God, we find our motivation for obedience coming from a loving response rather than a need to earn His favour. Accepting that we are covered by the righteousness of Christ, we finally begin to break free from the shame and guilt of sin and begin to know God’s love and salvation.(Consider also Philippians 3:7-11, Galatians 3:26-27)

Similar Posts