Friday, March 17, 2017
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
CONTRASTING JUSTICE AND MERCY
Justice is what is fair, especially in regard to punishment.
With our guilt clearly laid out in the law of God, it doesn't take a jury to decide what the verdict should be in order that justice might be served. Again, God's Word is clear: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God" (Romans 3:19). Guilty of sin, we deserve God's anger, as Paul writes, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18). The punishment, the result of that wrath, is death, as God said to Adam after the Fall into sin, "for dust you are and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). The Scriptures show that "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). To those guilty of sin, eternal death is the final verdict pronounced on the Last Day, when the Righteous Judge will say to sinners, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
With this verdict and punishment justice is served and the bad guy, the sinner, gets what he deserves.
God demands that justice be served for sin, for as the psalmist writes, "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood" (Psalm 5:4 ff.) We have sinned, and someone had to pay for our crimes. And sin WAS paid for, the punishment WAS suffered, as we read in our text, "For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us ..."
As a result, God's divine justice was served. In Christ's sacrifice, sin was paid for as though we ourselves had suffered eternal punishment. Christ's entire life on this earth was lived in our place. Being made under the law, Christ fulfilled the law, satisfying God's requirement that the law be kept perfectly. This Jesus did for all of us, so that, in God's eyes, His righteousness is our righteousness. And Christ died in our place as well, suffering the punishment of hell, the result being that we are declared "Not guilty" before the Righteous Judge.
Christ Jesus committed no sin, but he was made sin for us, made to be sin in our place, so that we would righteous, perfect, without guilt, in the eyes of the holy LORD.
