The Father Made the Son to be Sin

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

"But, unlike Adam, when he is tempted he (Jesus) does not sin. He is the only human being who perfectly obeys God, his Father. He is, therefore, the one person to have lived who does not deserve to be banished from God's presence. But on the cross he willingly faces the punishment that we all deserve, as sinners who are bound up with the first Adam. As a result, if we trust in him, we enter into a new humanity, headed not by Adam, the sinner, but by Jesus, the righteous new Adam. Paul writes, '. . . just as through the disobedience of one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Christ] the many will be made righteous' (Romans 5:19)."

I thought of the verse at the top of the post after I had read the previous paragraph in Vaughn Roberts' book 'God's Big Picture.' I was then inspired to check the ESV Study Bible for some commentary on the verse. The 'big idea' in the verse is captured better in the study Bible's notes than I could express, so I copied them below. It is long, but it's good.

2 Cor. 5:21 This verse is one of the most important in all of Scripture for understanding the meaning of the atonement and justification. Here we see that the one who knew no sin is Jesus Christ and that he (God) made him (Christ) to be sin (Gk. hamartia, "sin"). This means that God the Father made Christ to be regarded and treated as "sin" even though Christ himself never sinned (Heb. 4:15; cf. Gal 3:13). Further, we see that God did this for our sake that is, God regarded and treated "our" sin (the sin of all who would believe in Christ) as if our sin belonged not to us but to Christ himself. Thus Christ "died for all" (2 Cor. 5:14) and, as Peter wrote, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1Pet. 2:24). In becoming sin "for our sake," Christ became our substitute - that is, Christ took our sin upon himself and, as our substitute, thereby bore the wrath of God (the punishment that we deserve) in our place ("for our sake"). Thus the technical term for this foundational doctrine of the Christian faith is the substitutionary atonement - that Christ has provided the atoning sacrifice as "our" substitute, for the sins of all who believe (cf. Rom 3:23-25). The background for this is Isaiah 53 from the Greek (Septuagint) translation of the Hebrew OT, which included the most lengthy and detailed OT prophecy of Christ's death and which contains numerous parallels to 2 Cor 5:21. Isaiah's prophecy specifically used the Greek word for "sin" (Gk. hamartia) five times (as indicated below in italics) with reference to the coming Savior (the Suffering Servant) in just a few verses - e.g., "surely he has borne our griefs" (Isa. 53:4); "He was crushed for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:5); "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6); "he shall bear the iniquities" (Isa. 53:11); "he bore the sin of many" (Isa. 53:12). In a precise fulfillment of the is prophecy, Christ became "sin" for these who believe in him, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. This means that just as God imputed our sin and guilt to Christ ("he made him to be sin") so God also imputes the righteousness of Christ - a righteousness that is not our own - to all who believe in Christ. Because Christ bore the sins of those who believe, God regards and treats believers as having the legal status of "righteousness" (Gk. dikaiosyne). This righteousness belongs to believers because they are "in him," that is, "in Christ" (e.g., Rom. 3:22; 5:18; 1Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17, 19; Phil. 3:9). Therefore "the righteousness of God" (which is imputed to believers) is also the righteousness of Christ - that is, the righteousness and the legal status that belongs to Christ as a result of Christ having lived as one who "knew no sin." This then is the heart of the doctrine of justification; God regards (or counts) believers as forgiven and God declares and treats them as forgiven, because God the Father has imputed the believer's sin to Christ and because God the Father likewise imputes Christ's righteousness to the believer.

Christ is the Fulfillment of O.T. Promises

The New Testament never leads us to expect that there will be any fulfillment of the Old Testament promises other than their fulfillment in Christ. We are not encouraged, for example, to look for their fulfillment in the state of Israel and to expect a new temple to be built there. That is to expect a renewal of the model that has now been dismantled. The permanent reality is found in Christ.

-Vaughn Roberts, from his book 'God's Big Picture', page 108

Exile Ending, Finally Fullfillment

Mark identifies John the Baptist as that herald: 'And so John came, baptising in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins' (Mark 1:4). The message is clear; the waiting is over; the exile is about to end and the time of fulfillment is soon to come. And then Jesus appears, 'proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" ' (Mark 1:14-15)

-Vaughn Roberts, from his book 'God's Big Picture', page 108

Seeing Good Friday

Tonight's service at church ministered to me in a new way. It was a Good Friday service, of course, and pastor sounded a note I have probably heard before, but this time it was fresh. I won't be able to quote him verbatim, but I'll try to get the essence.

As Christians living when we do, we necessarily view Good Friday through Easter. We know what Good Friday means. This is an advantage the disciples did not have on crucifixion day. For them, all was dark and torn and stormy and dead and final. We can, thankfully, view Good Friday in hope and with all its meaning because we know about Easter and resurrection and epistles that explain it. Some of these letters are even written by ones who were convinced all was lost when the Romans killed their rabbi.

Here's what I took away: Don't approach Good Friday filled will somber dread. Easter people don't need to beat their breast and mourn. Of course I should be sorry for my sin, understanding that sin offends God, that God could rightly cast me into hell for my rebel heart and my rebellious crimes against Him - but I can't stay in sorrow for long because it is not the end of the story and I know the end of the story. I know about Easter. I know the Gospel.

As brutal and savage and depraved and unjust as Jesus' death was, it is life for me. The Gospel says that the Father made Him who knew no sin, Jesus, to be sin on my behalf. It's inexplicable, I know, but it is true nonetheless. And then, this spotless Lamb who was slain for my sins, rose from the grave showing that, not only is sin powerless, but so is the grave. O, death! Where is thy sting?

No, we do not mourn as the unbelievers and I will not linger over the brutality. But I will glory in the Cross and in ALL that it means, not just the Friday part.

Spurgeon On Redemption, Part 3

Here is Part 3 of Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on Redemption from God's view. Spurgeon conjures here what God the Spirit might have covenanted regarding mankind's salvation in this imaginary, though Bible-saturated, statement,

"I hereby covenant that all whom the Father giveth to the Son, I will in due time quicken. I will show them their need of redemption; I will cut off from them all groundless hope, and destroy their refuges of lies. I will bring them to the blood of sprinkling; I will give them faith whereby this blood can be applied to them; I will work in them every grace; I will keep their faith alive; I will cleanse them and drive out all depravity from them, and they shall be presented at last spotless and faultless."

Previous posts, Part 1 and Part 2.

Spurgeon On Redemption, Part 2

Here's the part 2 of Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on Redemption from God's view. Spurgeon conjures what God the Son might have covenanted regarding mankind's salvation in this imaginary, though Bible-saturated, statement,

"My Father, on my part I covenant that in the fullness of time I will become man. I will take upon myself the form and nature of the fallen race. I will live in their wretched world, and for my people I will keep the law perfectly. I will work out a spotless righteousness, which shall be acceptable to the demands of Thy just and holy law. In due time I will bear the sins of all my people. Thou shalt exact their debts on me; the chastisement of their peace will I endure, and by my stripes they shall be healed. My Father, I covenant and promise that I will be obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. I will magnify Thy law, and make it honorable. I will suffer all they ought to have suffered. I will endure the curse of Thy law, and all the vials of Thy wrath shall be emptied and spent upon my head. I will then rise again; I will ascend into heaven; I will intercede for them at Thy right hand; I will make myself responsible for every one of them, that not one of those whom Thou hast given me shall ever be lost, and I will bring all my sheep of whom, by Thy blood, Thou hast constituted me the Shepherd -- I will bring every one safe to Thee at last."

Part 1 is here.

Spurgeon On Redemption, Part 1

The other day in a meeting a devotion was led by a friend of mine named Tom. Having just passed the Easter season, the devotion was a reflection on the meaning of that event. Part of Tom's devotion was reading words written by Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the 19th, or any other century.

What Spurgeon wrote was imaginary covenants that each member of the Trinity might have taken before effecting the Redemption of God's people. Each statement is so thoroughly Bible-saturated and compelling that I wanted to post them. Please remember these are Spurgeon's words and, though obviously drawing on Biblical truth, we can't assign them the same authority.

Spurgeon first imagined the Father saying,

"I, the Most High Jehovah, do hereby give unto my only begotten and well-beloved Son, a people countless beyond the number of the stars who shall be by Him washed from sin, by Him preserved, and kept, and led, and by Him, at last, presented before my throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. I covenant by oath and sware by myself, because I can sware by no greater, that those whom I now give to Christ shall be forever the objects of my eternal love. Them will I forgive through the merit of the blood, to these will I give a perfect righteousness; these will I adopt and make my sons and daughters, and these shall reign with me through Christ eternally!"