Saturday, January 19, 2008
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.
POUR YOUR SINS ON CHRIST
When we become aware of our sin and frightened by it, we must not allow the sin to remain on our conscience. This would only lead to despair. Rather, just as our awareness of sin flowed to us from Christ, so we must pour our sin back on Him to free our conscience.
So be careful you don't become like the misguided people who allow their sin to bite at them and eat at their hearts. They strive to rid themselves of this sin by running around doing good works.
But you have a way to get rid of your sins. You throw your sins on Christ when you firmly believe that Christ's wounds and suffering carried and paid for your sins. As Isaiah said, "All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). Peter said, "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness -- by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24). And Paul said, "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).
You must rely on these and similar verses with your whole heart. The more your conscience torments you, the more you must rely on them. For if you don't do this and try to quiet your conscience through your own sorrow and penance, you will never find peace of mind and will finally despair in the end. If you try to deal with sin in your conscience, let it remain there, and continue to look at it in your heart, your sins will become too strong for you. They will seem to live forever.
But when you think of your sins as being on Christ and boldly believe that He conquered them through His resurrection, then they are dead and gone. Sin can't remain on Christ. His resurrection swallowed sin up.
-- Martin Luther
