Christ Made Sin: Us Made the Righteousness of God

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin 

in order that we might be made (that is, created) 

the righteousness of God in him. 

2 Corinthians 5.21

The Holy Spirit is careful to distinguish between the way Christ was made sin and the way we are made the righteousness of God in Him. Christ remained utterly unchanged in His Person, nature and character as He bore our sins in His body on the tree. The word translated “made” in the first instance reflects that for it signifies a change in form, not in essence. In fact, the word is often used to mean, “set forth as”. In 1 John 5.10 it is written that unbelievers, “have made God a liar.” Obviously John did not mean that unbelief actually causes God to be a liar. Rather, unbelief SAYS that God is a liar. Christ bore our sins in His body on the tree, yet, as He bore those sins, He was not made sinful by them. In fact, our Lord’s Person and nature were utterly unchanged by the events of Calvary. He suffered as the righteous One in place of unrighteous people. He was righteous before He went to the cross, remained righteous on the cross and arose the same righteous Person.

But, even though Christ’s person remained unchanged by the events of the cross, none of His people will remain unchanged by those same events. The result of Christ’s legal work goes far beyond a change in our legal status, and the word translated made in the second case suggests that. It is a different word than the one translated “made” in Christ’s case. In our case, the word often signifies a work of creation or a change so fundamental that something new has arisen. We get our word genetics and generate from this word. Christ’s endurance of our legal punishment for sin opened the door for the work of the Spirit of God who comes and actually changes what we are. This work is begun in regeneration or the New Birth.

Throughout the life of a believer he can say that the work is begun, but only begun. However, He can say that with the confidence that He who began that work will bring it to perfection on the day of Christ, when God raises our vile bodies to be like Christ’s glorious body and we, body and spirit, shall be like Him: completely righteous. Moreover, this righteousness shall not be like Adam’s righteousness which was the righteousness of Man and therefore subject to failure. This righteousness which the believer is created to be is nothing less than the righteousness of God and, therefore, is no more subject to failure than God, Himself, is subject to failure.

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Bold Sinners

Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may find mercy to help us in our time of need. ~Hebrews 4.16

God’s grace will never make you bold to sin, but it will make you bold to come to God’s throne of grace to find the mercy of forgiveness for your sin.

Let Us Pursue Good, Not Just Condemn Wrong

Brethren, let us be very careful that we do not make our religion a matter of what error we don't believe and what abuses we don't practice. Satan lays a devious trap in the way of many by making them think that the recognition of error is the same thing as the belief of the truth; that recognizing the wrong path is the same thing as walking on the right path.

I have met people whose entire religion lay in what false doctrine they didn't believe and what "inconsistent" practices they didn't practice. They would never stoop to use an invitation system, or support anyone who does. But then, neither did they ever testify of the gospel in the proper way, or support anyone who did. They have a long list of churches they despise. But then, there is no church which they love. They would never think of being yoked under the bondage of the law. But then, neither do they gladly receive the yoke of Christ. They don't believe in tithing, and never practice cheerful giving. They are careful never to cause one to stumble, and seem just as cautious never to pick up the downfallen. They loudly speak of false doctrines they despise; but one never hears a loving declaration of the truth from their lips. They are all negative, no positive.

God grant us grace not to be like that! While "eschewing evil," let us be careful to also "love what is good." While exposing "the unfruitful deeds of darkness," let us also be careful to "live as children of light."Let us not be negative, but positive.

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Reconciled to the Truth by the Truth

"Be ye reconciled to God!"(2 Corinthians 5:20)

 Often we hear the charge of "troublemaker" leveled at those who preach the truth of God's grace and declare it to be THE truth, to the exclusion of all other "truths." "You're just trying to start a fight," they say. But, we do not hold unswervingly to the truth of God's free and sovereign grace hoping to start a fight. Rather we do it hoping to end one!

Man has been at war with God ever since Adam rebelled. We are, in one sense, trying to end that war. Some would have preachers compromise the truth in order to "promote peace and harmony among the many different forms of Christianity." Compromising the truth may cause men to quit fighting with one another, but it shall not make them quit fighting with God. A man who compromises the truth has not ended the warfare, but has insured its continuance: his hearers go on in their rebellion against God! The only way that this fight can be ended is by the preaching of the truth, itself. The truth is such a wondrous thing that it has the capacity, when God wills it, to reconcile people to itself. The very truth that makes men angry with God is the truth that God uses to reconcile those angry men to Himself. Without that truth, no one will be reconciled to God!

In this Scripture Paul calls on his readers to be reconciled to God. Does he seek to promote this reconciliation by hiding those aspects of the God's truth which are most flesh-provoking? Does he say, "All things are of God, but you don't have to believe that to be a christian?" (5:19) Does he say, "Christ is a savor of life unto life to some and death unto death to others, and it's alright if you believe that you are sufficient to determine what it shall be for you? (2:15,16) Does He say that God made Christ to be sin for us in order that we would be made the righteousness of God in Him but its alright if you believe He was made sin for some who are never made righteous in Him? Not at all! To succumb to such compromise is most dishonoring to God and most hateful to one's listeners. So, if someone ever says to you, "You're just trying to start a fight," say, "No, I hope to end one before you get hurt."

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The "Why" of It All

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:… He has made everything beautiful in His time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3.1, 11

For those who feel the need to “make sense of it all”, history is a baffling mixture of pleasant and unpleasant for which there seems to be no apparent rhyme or reason. The contrasts of life and death, war and peace, joy and sorrow and success and failure seem to go back and forth with no reason or purpose. In reality, we are not bewildered when pleasant things happen to us, for we feel that that is the way it should be. We are baffled only by the unpleasant – the disasters and tragedies of life. We wonder at the causes of hunger but never question why there is plenty. Someone we love gets sick and dies and we ask why but never seem to trouble ourselves with the question of why someone recovers and lives.

For the most part, people accept insufficient explanations for the unpleasant events in their lives. We are more ready to accept faulty rationalizations than to endure the emotional stress of not understanding why “bad” things happen.

Some turn to religion for solace in times of trouble. If they see others suffer, they are prone to calling it a judgment. They like to believe that those who suffer are merely getting what they deserve, and this brings them comfort for they feel they do not deserve such suffering and, therefore will never suffer like that. When they do suffer, they can take on the mantle of a martyr, one who suffers for a greater cause – and thus assuage their anger and sorrow at what has happened to them.

Others simply become cynical saying that there is no rhyme or reason to history and that, in the end, nothing matters.

Solomon is among the wisest of men who ever lived. His answer to this problem is a good one, but for most people, it will not be a satisfying one. Solomon teaches that God does, indeed have purposes and that He has set a time for all the events that bring about those purposes. Other Scriptures teach us that God has a singular purpose to which all lesser actions and purposes are moving. And here is the kicker: God has arranged things so that we cannot figure out the causes and purposes for what He is doing. He has set “eternity” (or “the world” depending on which translation you use) in our hearts so that we cannot figure out what God is doing. 

Neither “eternity” nor “the world” give us the full sense of what Solomon means. The word means “vanishing point.” If you stand on a set of railroad tracks and look behind you, it appears the tracks eventually come together, and you are unable to see any further than that vanishing point in order to discover where the train comes from. If you look ahead of you, the same thing happens, and you are not able to discover the destination of the train. And, in life, we cannot see beyond the limits of our own days to determine the greater causes of our lives or the purposes they serve. We can see back only as far as our earliest memories and we cannot see any distance into the future but must experience the future as it becomes the present. But understanding the causes of events and the purposes they serve requires being able to see beyond the events themselves – to able to see what comes before and after the event. Therefore, it is impossible for a man to know the cause and purpose of his life for it is impossible for him to see a picture any larger than his own life. Every attempt he makes to understand the cause and purpose of his existence runs into the vanishing points of his birth and death.

But that does not mean we cannot know the cause and purpose of our existence. We cannot discover it, but we can learn it, for God has told us. The problem is, most people do not like His answer. The cause and purpose of our lives are one: Jesus Christ. And that is true whether we believe God or not, whether our destiny is wrath or salvation or whether our lives are pleasant or unpleasant. History is not about us. Not even our own personal lives are about us. We exist because Christ created us and we have been created for His pleasure. The grand purpose to which all else is subservient is the glorification of the Lord Jesus. The grand purpose for our existence and all that we experience in our existence is the glorification of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

We take this truth by faith for even though we have been told the cause and purpose of our existence, we are unable to perceive how Christ’s glory is going to be advanced by all that happens to us. But where sight fails faith succeeds and we live in the confidence that all is well for all is serving the glorious purpose of Christ’s glory. What are we to do, then? We must stop trying to make sense of it all, for it is impossible for us to do so. We must learn to live each moment according to what time it is: When it is time to laugh then let us laugh, but when it is time to weep, then let us weep. Let us dance when the music of our lives is light and festive; let us mourn when the music turns dark and the tones of a dirge are played. Let us never pretend it is some other time than what it is. Rather, let us embrace every event as it comes knowing it is the right thing for that time for the Lord has sent it at that time. 

There is a Divinely appointed time for everything – everything, that is, except questioning the Divine timing!

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The Meaning of Grace

To the moralist, grace is a religious word devoid of any real meaning.

To the legalist, grace is a theological problem that must somehow be twisted until it means a reward for doing good.

To the theologian, grace is a point of contention and debate.

But to the sinner, grace is a bright light in a dark tunnel, a cool drink in a hot and dry desert; it is life from the dead and hope in the midst of despair.  Grace is the sound of keys in a cell door and shackles hitting the ground.  Grace is a warm bed and a place at the family table for the runaway.  No one but a sinner knows what grace is.  Sinners say things like, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound!” and “Grace, ‘tis a charming sound, harmonious to the ear”, and, “Marvellous grace of our loving Lord…” 

Grace – God’s grace – is the only word of hope in this world.