The Great Exchange

Let’s talk about 2 Corinthians 5:21. The Apostle Paul writes about Christ that “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Now, here is what that means. Jesus, who was perfect and without sin, took upon Himself the weight of our sin. Every failure, every rebellion, every moment we fell short—He carried it all to the cross. He became sin so that we could become righteous. Not just forgiven. Not just pardoned. Made righteous. Clothed in the very righteousness of God.

This wasn’t just a transaction. It was a substitution. Jesus didn’t just pay a fine on our behalf—He took our place. He endured the punishment we deserved so that we could receive the reward He deserved. He died the death we should have died so that we could live the life He has given us.

And here’s why. This is what God’s righteousness and power is like. The nature of God’s power is perfect justice and perfect love. His justice demands that sin be punished—the wages of sin is death. But His love desires relationship with us so that we can partake in His glory.

Remember Christ on the cross, sandwiched between two thieves. One said, “If you are the Son of God, save yourself and save us.” In other words, if you have power like you claim, use it to save yourself and save us. That is our understanding of power. If you have power, use it for your benefit and our benefit. This is why we are often corrupt and unrighteous. Then, the other said, “No, he doesn’t deserve this. We do. This is justice for us but not for him.”

So on the cross, Christ was sandwiched between the demand for power and the demand for justice. Yet love satisfied both. Through Christ, God showed He is perfectly powerful, perfectly righteous, perfectly just, and perfectly loving. Nobody can do this. No just can be perfectly just and perfectly merciful. When a person accepts Christ, He counts God righteousness, loving, just and all powerful. That is true worship. That is the Gospel of Christ.