Places!

Places!

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

Context:

Paul writes to the church in Corinth, telling them about God's greatest gift, which is His Son, whose greatest assignment is the salvation of all men. The verses before today's extract make it clear what this assignment is: the reconciliation of man back to God. It does not matter what else we think Jesus came to do; if man could not be reconciled back to God, the essence of Jesus dying on the cross would have been in vain. It does not matter what else I 'achieve' for God if my core motivation and encouragement do not flow out of my understanding of what Jesus did for me when he died on the cross and rose again. The cross is very fundamental to all I was and am now.

Message and Response:

Let's look at what today's extract represents for us: 

1. There is a glorious father and an equally glorious son. Both were perfect; sinless. However, when the perfect God looked at imperfect man, he knew that nothing from that imperfect man could make up for his sin. The only way sin could be finally dealt with was to have a perfect sacrifice for sin. In stepped Jesus.

2. I read the words: 'God made Jesus....'. There was God's will and there was Jesus' surrender to God's will. The prayer of Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane gave a picture of the struggle Jesus had when he considered what was ahead. However, his prayer that night is instructive: 'not my will but yours be done.' He embraced all that God had planned so that all of God's plan for man could be fulfilled. 

3. One who had or knew no sin was made to become sin because of me. Think about this for a while: a holy God permitting his son to take on that which was evil and strange, and which he hated, so that I could come into new standing with God. If that does not make you pause, think again. If such a high price was paid for my new place, think of the consequences of rejecting the gift that has been given. 

4. An exchange of places was done: man sinned and should have been punished. The price was death, but man could not even pay the price required for redemption because he was already polluted. The perfect God offered the perfect sacrifice, taking our due punishment. We were the ones God should have turned away from, but his Son bore the wrath of God against sin. God turned his eyes away from Jesus as he hung on the cross. 

5. All that Jesus is and has became ours when he died and rose again. Each gives what he is and has: we inherited sin from Adam but inherited life from Jesus. Note again the words: 'IN Him'. These benefits don't come by virtue of ability, title, circle of influence or bank account balance, but by being IN him. Not around or aware of him, but in him. 

6. I must not be content with symbols and tokens of his presence, like a good church title, lovely worship sessions and being 'used' mightily by God. I must not determine my location in God by ephemeral things, but by his standards.

7. The ultimate goal is the righteousness of God. It is by his righteousness that we qualify to receive all that Jesus is. The nature of God has not changed, and it does not change for anyone. It is that consistency that gives us hope. We know what to do if we want to get what he has promised. 

The choice, as always, is mine to make; what am I willing to settle for? Would I remain in sin, or would I take advantage of the free gift of life on offer by God? I am not asked to pay the price for sin anymore; that has already been settled. However, if I reject the prize, I have to pay the price. If I do not take advantage of what Jesus has done, I cannot take advantage of the life he offers. Now that I know, what is my decision? His time of favour is here.