21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I am sure you have heard the expression, “Oil and water don’t mix.” Well, leave it to humans to make it happen: hydrogenated oil. Take a look at the labels of the food you eat. You will find it there. Oil and water mixed together. Well, there is something that is even more difficult to accomplish than this: God taking on sin. He is pure and holy. Nothing can contaminate Him. And yet, because we needed someone to take care of our sin problem, He took care of it. Jesus became our sin. He was rejected. He was despised. He became the outcast. He got what we deserved. And in exchange for our sin, He gives us righteousness, His righteousness. Not only was our sin take care of, but He provided the positive side of the equation as well. We get credit for His righteous character and life. Our garbage, His grace! Now, of course, if someone doesn’t accept the fact of the reality of sin, then none of this makes sense. If there is no sin, then there is no need for Christ to do anything about our non-existent sin. And there must not be any righteousness either. This is our society today. No ultimate rights or wrongs. Everything is open for debate. Maybe America is not the exception in human history. Maybe God didn’t shine His light on thee. That is what our president believes. But I believe that there are ultimate rights and wrongs and that God set the standard and revealed a way, the only way, for our wrongs to be made right. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. Hallelujah! I could never do it on my own. Now I get credit for His perfect life.
The Arnold Journey 