Study 8
“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
Introduction
The physical pain that Jesus bore is beyond our imagination. Films such as “The Passion of the Christ” pay undue attention to this part of His life, and in doing so misrepresent what Jesus came to do. Added to this problem is the fact that few people, even within the church, understand the psychological pain the Lord experienced as He bore our sin and guilt. The psychological aspect of His suffering was far more intense that the physical. To focus upon only one aspect of the Lord’s suffering will leave us with an inadequate understanding of His sacrifice.
Perfectly holy
As believers we feel shame and remorse when we disobey the Lord. We realise that our sin has caused a break in the fellowship we enjoy with God (Isaiah 59:2). This brings guilt and condemnation. The more we desire to live a sanctified life, the greater the anxiety we feel about sinning against Him.
How then did Jesus feel when He took upon Himself the “sins of the world” (John 1:29)? He was absolutely holy in every way. As God, He would have hated sin with a passion. Since He was holy, sin was completely alien to Him (1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:26). Yet, because He loved the Father and sinners, He willingly took upon Himself the full weight of our sin. It is impossible, on this side of eternity, to grasp the inner pain this must have caused Him as He became the sin bearer.
Made to be sin
Everyone knows the wonderful words recorded in Isaiah 53:6, 12, which states that “The LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all … He bore the sins of many.” It was obviously to Isaiah 53 that John the Baptist was referring to when he announced that Jesus was “The Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The apostle Paul also teaches Jesus was “made … to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This portrayal of the Messiah as the sin bearer will endure throughout eternity (Revelation 5:12).
Made a curse for us
Paul, in Galatians 3:13, makes use of a very strong term when he says that Christ was “made a curse for us.” He refers back to Deuteronomy 21:22-23 where it speaks of a criminal who has “committed a sin worthy of death,” and that his execution proved that he was “accursed of God.” No wonder Isaiah describes Christ as being “smitten of God” when He “laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). The only begotten and holy Son of God took upon Himself the curse!
He took our guilt
Our guilt was imputed to Christ in exactly the same way Adam’s sin was imputed to us. By taking upon Himself every aspect of man’s sin, Jesus, as the sin bearer, was looked upon by the Father as the guilty one. This does not infer that Jesus’ nature became sinful, but that He voluntarily transferred our guilt to Himself, and thus make Himself the only person worthy of the full force of the wrath of God (Romans 8:1.)
Conclusion
The Saviour satisfied every demand of the law. The righteousness and justice of God was maintained. The cost of our atonement cannot be paid through good works, religious deeds or morality. God simply expects us to trust in the one who paid the price, took our place, and made it possible for us to enter into the holy of holies (Hebrews 10:14-20).
Page created 26 October 2005