He Became, You Became

The Lord spoke to me at work today and said, "I'm going to tell you something."  I love how the Lord sometimes speaks and tells us something we are already aware of, but says it in a whole new way!  God is so creative in His ways to speak to us.  I'm thankful!

We all know, and agree, Jesus came and died for our, and all, sin.  Jesus, who knew NO sin, became sin for you and I (2 Cor. 5:21).   EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF SIN WAS PLACED ON HIM!!!  He felt the anger, the rage, the deviance, the deceit, the manipulation, the lust, the greed, the discouragement, the depression, the sorrow, the sadness, the sickness, the envy, the loneliness, the rejection, the torment, EVERYTHING!!!  Let me share some Scripture with you, Isaiah 54:3-12, from The Message translation -
Vs. 3 "He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
Vs. 4 But the fact is, it was our pains he carried-- our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. 
Vs. 5 But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him--our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.
Vs. 6 We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And GOD has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him.
Vs. 7 He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence.
Vs. 8 Justice miscarried, and he was led off-- and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
Vs. 9 They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.
Vs. 10 Still, it's what GOD had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it--life, life, and more life. And GOD's plan will deeply prosper through him.
Vs. 11 Out of that terrible travail of soul, he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many "righteous ones," as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Vs. 12 Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly-- the best of everything, the highest honors-- Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep."

That is how He has become our mediator and intercessor.  He was well acquainted with our griefs and sorrows, if only for those few hours on the cross.  It was enough to accomplish what He came to do, which was to become sin so He could deal with the very nature of sin, not just the actions of sin.  See, our actions are simply the results of our nature.  So even though we committed acts of sin, or sinned, it was the results of the nature of sin in us that caused us to act that way.  Jesus came to forgive us of our sins, or our action of sin, by crushing THE NATURE that was alive in us that caused us to sin!  Now that we are IN CHRIST, by receiving Him, we have this new nature in us.  It's the nature of Jesus Christ!  And that nature causes us to be righteous, and therefore act righteous!

Here is what the Lord spoke to me today ---  "in the EXACT SAME WAY that "He who knew no sin, became sin,"  WE, who knew no righteousness,  BECAME RIGHTEOUS!!!"

I REALLY, REALLY hope His Spirit speaks this as loudly to you as He has to me today!  Man, this is just so powerful to me!  I knew this in principle and theory, but this exact wording has leaped in me probably a lot like John leaped inside Elizabeth's womb when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came and greeted her!

Sin was foreign to Jesus.  He had no association or relation to it.  Just like righteousness was foreign to us.  We had no association or relation to it.  Jesus became sin and died, so we could become righteous and live!  We couldn't do it by any amount of effort on our own, so He did it for us.  We became righteous by NO EFFORT AT ALL!  That is what grace is!  UNMERITED FAVOR, or FAVOR NOT EARNED OR WORKED FOR!  It's sad though, because somewhere along the way, we began to think that even though His GRACE, or UNMERITED FAVOR, or FAVOR NOT EARNED OR WORKED FOR, came to us by faith, and we got saved, now we have to work to keep that unmerited favor, or favor not earned or worked for!  It actually ceases being grace then!  If you and I can earn it, or work for it, then it's not grace!  You and I earn our wages by working for it, but we CAN'T EARN grace!  It's impossible!  The same way we didn't earn or work for the righteous standing we now have, it was given to us by His doing!

Enjoy His life!