- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
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The great exchange
'God made him ... to be sin for us ...' 2 Corinthians 5:21
Have you ever tried to keep the Ten Commandments? So you've probably not murdered anyone; but that still gives you nine more to go at. What about the 'less serious' ones then? 'You must not steal' (Exodus 20:15 NLT). Have you ever stolen anything? Really? Not even a paper clip? How many CDs in your collection are 'borrowed' or copied? Were you ever planning to give them back?
Then there's 'You must not lie' (Exodus 20:16 TLB). If you say you haven't, then that claim itself is hardly likely to be true. What did you say to your parents the last time you were late home? Right. So the bad news is that on your best day you still fall far short of God's perfect standards.
But there's good news too: '... He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole...' (Isaiah 53:5 NLT). A Chinese convert to Christianity understood this. Before her baptism the pastor asked her a question to ensure she understood the meaning of the cross: 'Did Jesus have any sin?' 'Yes,' she replied. Troubled, he repeated the question. 'Yes, He had sin,' she answered again. The pastor set out to correct her, but she insisted, 'Yes! He had mine.' And she was right! This is the great exchange. At the cross, Jesus was taking your place. He made right, what was wrong, He made beauty out of mess. Aren't you glad?
written by Bob Gass
'God made him ... to be sin for us ...' 2 Corinthians 5:21
Have you ever tried to keep the Ten Commandments? So you've probably not murdered anyone; but that still gives you nine more to go at. What about the 'less serious' ones then? 'You must not steal' (Exodus 20:15 NLT). Have you ever stolen anything? Really? Not even a paper clip? How many CDs in your collection are 'borrowed' or copied? Were you ever planning to give them back?
Then there's 'You must not lie' (Exodus 20:16 TLB). If you say you haven't, then that claim itself is hardly likely to be true. What did you say to your parents the last time you were late home? Right. So the bad news is that on your best day you still fall far short of God's perfect standards.
But there's good news too: '... He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole...' (Isaiah 53:5 NLT). A Chinese convert to Christianity understood this. Before her baptism the pastor asked her a question to ensure she understood the meaning of the cross: 'Did Jesus have any sin?' 'Yes,' she replied. Troubled, he repeated the question. 'Yes, He had sin,' she answered again. The pastor set out to correct her, but she insisted, 'Yes! He had mine.' And she was right! This is the great exchange. At the cross, Jesus was taking your place. He made right, what was wrong, He made beauty out of mess. Aren't you glad?
written by Bob Gass
