06/08/11

The Great Exchange

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We have always been told about the 'Great Exchange' on the crucifix, where Jesus took all our sins on Himself so that we become righteous in Him. In today's message Paul explains this 'Great Exchange' very beautifully.

He uses the words 'we might be made the righteousness of God in Him'; He does not say we are completely made righteous but uses the word 'might'.

Many think by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus in our lives we are made righteous, this is not fully true. It also cannot be termed fully wrong.

Jesus had no sin in Him and He took the sins of man on Himself when man laid hands on His head while placing the crown of thorns on Him, like it was done in the book of Moses where hands were laid on the head of the sacrifice to transfer the sins on to the sacrifice.

If we read a few scriptures before, Paul clearly states the main purpose of Jesus' sacrifice was to reconcile man to God. Paul again and again emphasises on reconciliation; that we need to continue and pursue this reconciliation. The Greek word 'katallasso' translated as reconciliation at places is also translated as 'exchange'. The word is made of 2 words 'after' and 'change'. The word reconciliation or exchange does not mean a swap but means a start of a process which finishes with a complete change.

When Jesus said 'it is finished' on the crucifix He did not mean He completely saved us and we all who believe in Him are going to Heaven. No doubt all who believe in Him will be 'saved' and will not go to Hell but it also does not mean we will go to Heaven.

Jesus said only those who overcome and in some places He states only those who keep His Father's Word will enter Heaven when He comes again to judge us.

What Jesus did on the crucifix is He completed the process required to begin the change of man to become sons of God. That is why after the sacrifice Jesus gave us the Helper - the Holy Spirit of God to continue the process of change.

Thus the Great Exchange of the Cross of Jesus means our commitment to Jesus to change. This change needs to begin from inside. It starts with our belief, then our nature and then our habits and way of life.

If we state we have done The Exchange and do not change and continue the change then we are fooling ourselves and trying to fool God.

Let us look at ourselves from the day we accepted Jesus into our lives and ourselves today and let us make an assessment of how much we have changed and gauge our commitment to the Great Exchange.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, we thank You for being our sacrifice. You took our sins on You and became the peace sacrifice. You started the reconciliation process between God and man. Lord with You coming into my life, my life has not been the same. Lord, we pray this continues and we become completely different. Let this change prove we are no longer children of Adam but God's children and grafted in You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
2 Corinthians 5:15-21
15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

John 5:26-29
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Ephesians 2:13-16
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

John 17:4-10
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

John 16:7-15
7 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 "of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 "of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 "of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
15 "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)