The Incredible Exchange

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
-2 Corinthians 5:21

This verse is one of the most important verses in the Bible to help us understand the meaning of atonement and justification. Atonement refers to the forgiving of our sin through the death of Jesus Christ. Justification is the concept that we, as sinners, are made sinless before God - just as though we had never sinned.

So, according to this verse, God made Jesus to be regarded and treated as sin. That in our place, Jesus became sin for those who believe in Him. And when God placed all of our sins on Jesus, He placed all of Jesus' righteousness on us. There was this incredible exchange that happened on the Cross.

When Jesus said His final words on the Cross - "It is finished", the exchange occurred and Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and we were made perfect in God's eyes.

That is pretty incredible.

It is because of Friday, today, some 1,976 years ago, when Jesus voluntarily went to the Cross so that we would have any chance of having a mended relationship with our Creator. On Good Friday we celebrate the brutal murder of a perfect man, the God-man, Jesus Christ. And my prayers is that everyone come to understand this story and to believe in its main Character so that they too might receive that incredible exchange.