There is a verse in the Bible that should startle us and cause us to tremble. It is a verse that we should not read quickly or pass over. As Christians, we should be grateful to be forgiven our sins, we should be thankful that we have been adopted as God's children. But I do not think that we will ever comprehend the awesome price that Jesus paid to cleanse us of our sin and to give us His righteousness. How abhorrent was it for the sinless Son of God to have every sin of all humanity placed upon Him? What love was required for the Father to watch His only Son bear the excruciating pain and humiliation of our sin upon the cross?
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The prophet Isaiah summarized the human condition: "We are all like an unclean thing,/ And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." (Isa. 64:6). Even the high priest, Joshua, in his exhalted position among God's people, was clothed in filthy rags before God. The apostle Paul, who labored so magnificently to be righteous before God, realized and stated that his most strenuous efforts to please God were no more valuable than rubbish. The plight of humanity friends, is that nothing we could ever do can ever satisfy God's desire for righteousness. But the miracle of God's mercy is that through Christ, God exchanges our "filthy rags" for "rich robes" of righteousness.
In this awesome exchange, God placed all the sins of humanity upon His righteous Son. Jesus became so identified with our sin that the Scripture says that God "made Him to be sin" on our behalf. The holy Son of God could not possibly do more for us than this! Experiencing the Father's wrath upon the sin He carried would have been more painful to endure than any human rejection or physical suffering. How many of us have ever thought about this?
Friends, we should never take the righteousness God has given us for granted. Never take the forgiveness of our sin lightly. It cost God a terrible price in order to forgive us and make us righteous. We need to walk in a manner worthy of the righteousness He has freely given us!
May God richly bless you today!! H Trent!
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The prophet Isaiah summarized the human condition: "We are all like an unclean thing,/ And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." (Isa. 64:6). Even the high priest, Joshua, in his exhalted position among God's people, was clothed in filthy rags before God. The apostle Paul, who labored so magnificently to be righteous before God, realized and stated that his most strenuous efforts to please God were no more valuable than rubbish. The plight of humanity friends, is that nothing we could ever do can ever satisfy God's desire for righteousness. But the miracle of God's mercy is that through Christ, God exchanges our "filthy rags" for "rich robes" of righteousness.
In this awesome exchange, God placed all the sins of humanity upon His righteous Son. Jesus became so identified with our sin that the Scripture says that God "made Him to be sin" on our behalf. The holy Son of God could not possibly do more for us than this! Experiencing the Father's wrath upon the sin He carried would have been more painful to endure than any human rejection or physical suffering. How many of us have ever thought about this?
Friends, we should never take the righteousness God has given us for granted. Never take the forgiveness of our sin lightly. It cost God a terrible price in order to forgive us and make us righteous. We need to walk in a manner worthy of the righteousness He has freely given us!
May God richly bless you today!! H Trent!
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