II Corinthians 5:21: "The Gospel"
Paul closes chapter 5 with one of the most precious and clear verses on the gospel in all the bible. After explaining to his readers of their call to be ambassadors for Christ, he explains the message that we proclaim. And that message is that we are hopeless and helpless and unable to reconcile our relationship w/ God except through faith in Christ who took our place.
Paul begins, "He made". This is just the beginning of statements made in this verse that show salvation is all God's work. We understand by the end of verse 20 that He refers to God the Father. "Made" shows God's initiative in the salvation process. We had sinned and broken the relationship w/ God, however, it was He was began the process of reconciliation. This was in direct opposition to what the false apostles believed. They believed in a work's righteousness and a religious system in which the unbeliever could save himself through their own actions and duties. Paul recognized this futile attempt in Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for god, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God". We must understand that Jesus did not come to earth and was crucified because of man's plans or power. We must understand, as MacArthur writes, "Jesus went to the cross as the outworking of God's plan to reconcile sinners to Himself". It was by the plan and power of God that Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins, in order to restore the relationship that sin had broken. Therefore, Paul's point is making sure we understand that it was God who "made" salvation possible, and it was nothing that we did to earn it.
Paul continues the presentation of the gospel by explaining the substitute, "Him who knew no sin to be sin". Here Paul testifies to Christ's deity. The fact that the substitute was sinless rules out any human being the sacrifice since "all have sinned and fall short" Rom. 3:23. As humans we must recognize that only God can forgive sin. Only the one to whom the sin was against has the ability to forgive. God being perfect, holy, and sinless sent the second person of the Trinity to come to earth, live the perfect life and take the wrath that was due to us. Jesus was 100% man and 100% at the same time. MacArthur writes, "The perfect sacrifice for sin would have to be a human being, for only a man could die for other men. Yet he would also have to be God, for only God is sinless. That narrows the field to one, the God-man, Jesus Christ". Many passages in scripture speak to the impeccability of Jesus (Luke 23:4, Luke 23:41, 23:47, I Peter 1:19-20, I John 3:5, etc). Jesus was perfect and had never sinned in his life, however, in His plan for salvation, God made the one "who knew no sin to be sin". This does not in anyway mean that Christ sinned while here on earth. What it does mean is that God imputed sin onto Christ while He was on the cross to bear the wrath of God. MacArthur explains, "Christ was not made a sinner, nor was He punished for any sin of His own. Instead, the Father treated him as if He were a sinner by charging to His account the sins of everyone who would ever believe. All those sins were charged against Him as if He had personally committed them, and He was punished with the penalty for them on the cross, experiencing the full fury of God's wrath unleashed against them all". Here is the substitionary atonement of Christ, who took the wrath God had meant for our sins, put them on Christ, and poured it out on Him, the perfect sinless Christ. And all of this was done "on our behalf". God struck down and poured out His wrath on His perfect sinless Son for us, wicked and wretched sinners, who before coming to Christ had only hated Him.
So what was to come of all this? To sum it up and explain the benefit of such an event, Paul explains the transaction that takes place when someone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ, "so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him". Here we can see that Christ's perfect sinless life and all of His righteousness was given to us who believe, and He received our sin and wrath. Not a fair trade at all, but that is why it is called grace. What a wonderful testimony of Grace on our behalf. MacArthur writes, "When repentant sinners acknowledge their sin (Ps. 32:5), affirm Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9), and trust solely in His completed work on their behalf (Acts 4:12; 16:31), God credits His righteousness to their account. On the cross God treated Jesus as if He had lived our lives with all our sin, so that God could then treat us as if we lived Christ's life of pure holiness". And that is the great transaction that takes place the moment we place our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. Do we not owe Christ our very lives? What an amazing transaction, you would be foolish not to accept it.
Paul begins, "He made". This is just the beginning of statements made in this verse that show salvation is all God's work. We understand by the end of verse 20 that He refers to God the Father. "Made" shows God's initiative in the salvation process. We had sinned and broken the relationship w/ God, however, it was He was began the process of reconciliation. This was in direct opposition to what the false apostles believed. They believed in a work's righteousness and a religious system in which the unbeliever could save himself through their own actions and duties. Paul recognized this futile attempt in Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for god, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God". We must understand that Jesus did not come to earth and was crucified because of man's plans or power. We must understand, as MacArthur writes, "Jesus went to the cross as the outworking of God's plan to reconcile sinners to Himself". It was by the plan and power of God that Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins, in order to restore the relationship that sin had broken. Therefore, Paul's point is making sure we understand that it was God who "made" salvation possible, and it was nothing that we did to earn it.
Paul continues the presentation of the gospel by explaining the substitute, "Him who knew no sin to be sin". Here Paul testifies to Christ's deity. The fact that the substitute was sinless rules out any human being the sacrifice since "all have sinned and fall short" Rom. 3:23. As humans we must recognize that only God can forgive sin. Only the one to whom the sin was against has the ability to forgive. God being perfect, holy, and sinless sent the second person of the Trinity to come to earth, live the perfect life and take the wrath that was due to us. Jesus was 100% man and 100% at the same time. MacArthur writes, "The perfect sacrifice for sin would have to be a human being, for only a man could die for other men. Yet he would also have to be God, for only God is sinless. That narrows the field to one, the God-man, Jesus Christ". Many passages in scripture speak to the impeccability of Jesus (Luke 23:4, Luke 23:41, 23:47, I Peter 1:19-20, I John 3:5, etc). Jesus was perfect and had never sinned in his life, however, in His plan for salvation, God made the one "who knew no sin to be sin". This does not in anyway mean that Christ sinned while here on earth. What it does mean is that God imputed sin onto Christ while He was on the cross to bear the wrath of God. MacArthur explains, "Christ was not made a sinner, nor was He punished for any sin of His own. Instead, the Father treated him as if He were a sinner by charging to His account the sins of everyone who would ever believe. All those sins were charged against Him as if He had personally committed them, and He was punished with the penalty for them on the cross, experiencing the full fury of God's wrath unleashed against them all". Here is the substitionary atonement of Christ, who took the wrath God had meant for our sins, put them on Christ, and poured it out on Him, the perfect sinless Christ. And all of this was done "on our behalf". God struck down and poured out His wrath on His perfect sinless Son for us, wicked and wretched sinners, who before coming to Christ had only hated Him.
So what was to come of all this? To sum it up and explain the benefit of such an event, Paul explains the transaction that takes place when someone comes to the saving knowledge of Christ, "so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him". Here we can see that Christ's perfect sinless life and all of His righteousness was given to us who believe, and He received our sin and wrath. Not a fair trade at all, but that is why it is called grace. What a wonderful testimony of Grace on our behalf. MacArthur writes, "When repentant sinners acknowledge their sin (Ps. 32:5), affirm Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9), and trust solely in His completed work on their behalf (Acts 4:12; 16:31), God credits His righteousness to their account. On the cross God treated Jesus as if He had lived our lives with all our sin, so that God could then treat us as if we lived Christ's life of pure holiness". And that is the great transaction that takes place the moment we place our hope and faith in Jesus Christ. Do we not owe Christ our very lives? What an amazing transaction, you would be foolish not to accept it.
posted by amesfam | 8:54 AM
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