2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Tag: The Incredible Exchange!!!!
You and I were born in sin, we live in sin and, without Christ, we would die in sin. Sin is our nature. It is not something we do, only, it is who we are. Unless something drastic happens, we have to pay for our sin:
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
To avoid death we have to have someone to pay for our sin, but ALSO impart to us a righteousness. God is righteous and we can’t be in His presence for eternity unless we have righteousness, as well. This is the core of the Gospel. Jesus came and took our sin (along with the requirements of death for the sin) and He gave us, in exchange, His righteousness. Martin Luther called this an “alien righteousness.” We have a righteousness not our own and Christ had sin, not His own. He died and rose again to defeat the penalty of death for sin. By overcoming death He was able to impart His righteousness to us. This is the above verse. The story of the Gospel is in this verse. This is such an amazing exchange. No transaction in history can compare to what this exchange meant for believers. We have an alien righteousness that is Christ. We are being changed into that righteousness, daily, as we walk in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are clothed in righteousness by Christ perfect work on the cross.
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