“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.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
When we think of the message behind the cross of Christ, most of us would agree that it speaks to the depths of God’s love for mankind. And while that is certainly true, no fuller revelation of God’s justice and holiness can be found. For at the cross, the wrath of God met the mercy of God, and in Christ both were perfectly fulfilled. The One who knew no sin became sin—not inherently, but by divine imputation—so that we who believe might be counted righteous before a holy God.[1]
To overlook the righteous anger poured out at the cross is to miss the weight of redemption. Christ’s suffering was so much more than a display of God’s affection—it was the full outpouring of divine justice. The holy blood of Jesus paid the infinite debt our sins had incurred, for only a perfect substitute could stand in the place of those under condemnation and be accepted. And Christ did just that, once for all.
Through the agony and abandonment Christ endured, God declared with finality that sin is no small thing. And yet, in the very same moment, He also declared that salvation is His free and gracious gift. This is the power of the cross: justice satisfied, mercy extended, and righteousness bestowed.
As a result, the believer now stands not only forgiven but clothed in Christ’s righteousness. Christ has become to us “the Lord our Righteousness,” and His obedience is reckoned to us as if we ourselves had kept the law.
We can now therefore live as those purchased by blood, made new, no longer under condemnation. For all these reasons, the message of the cross calls us to holy living, not because we are trying to earn God’s favor but because we have already been lavished with His favor through the once-crucified, now-risen Lamb of God.
Let us never cease to meditate on the message of the cross—the weight of our sin, the love of our Savior, and the freedom we now enjoy in Christ.
Contemplations:
- I Know the Cross Shows Both Justice and Mercy. Christ bore what I deserved so that I might receive what He alone earned. Your justice crushed Him that mercy might raise me up.
- I Acknowledge My Sin Was No Light Thing. Nothing less than the blood of Your Son could remove my guilt. Every time I look at the cross, I remember that my sin cost You everything. And yet it was a price You willingly paid for me.
- I Embrace That I Am Made Righteous in Christ. I have nothing to offer You except my need, Lord, and You have clothed me with the righteousness of Christ. “Nothing in my hands I bring… simply to Thy cross I cling!” What a Savior!
- I Seek to Live Worthy of the Gospel. Because of the infinite price You paid, I cannot treat my sin lightly. Remind me continually of the great cost of the cross, Lord, that I may live in a way that honors the One who bore my shame.
Prayer
[Supplication to the Redeemer]
Holy and Just God,
I come before You with trembling gratitude for the cross of Your Son. I do not come to ask lightly, for I know the price of my access. You gave Christ for me. You poured out Your righteous anger upon Him, that I might be made whole. O Lord, help me never forget the weight of that sacrifice.
I ask You now to press deeply into my soul the true meaning of what Jesus endured. Let me not be satisfied with shallow thoughts about the cross but open my eyes that I may see the depth of my sin, the height of Your love, and the magnitude of Your justice that met at Calvary. Let my soul be gripped by the wonder that Christ was made sin—not by guilt of His own, but by taking mine.
Father, I ask for grace to live daily under the shadow of that tree. Let my heart never grow dull to the message of the crucified Christ. Let me never shrug off sin, knowing it cost my Redeemer His life. Fill me with a holy fear, not out of condemnation, but for grieving the One who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Strengthen me to live as one who is dead to sin but alive unto righteousness. When I am tempted to complain, let me remember the stripes that healed me. When I grow weary, let me recall the strength of my Savior who bore my shame. When I doubt my place in Your family, remind me that Christ has finished the work, and that no one can snatch me from Your hand.
Lord, let the cross be my song in the morning and my meditation at night. Let it anchor my joy, fuel my obedience, and silence every accusation from the enemy. I am not my own—I have been bought with a price. So let me glorify You in my body and spirit, which are Yours.
And now, Father, I pray that You help me carry this message into every part of my life. Let it shape my words, guide my actions, and conform my heart. Let it be the song I sing to the lost, the banner I hold before a watching world, and the light that keeps me from stumbling.
Keep me near the cross. Keep me under its shadow. Keep me longing for the day when faith shall be sight and I shall see the Lamb who was slain for me.
For Jesus’ sake, and in His worthy name I pray, Amen.
Further References for 2 Corinthians 5:21
Exodus 12:13; Leviticus 23:19; Proverbs 17:15; Matthew 1:21; Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18.
[1] “Thus the righteousness of Christ is the act of one and yet may well be called that of all believers by divine imputation; as what one has done, all may be considered to have done—“If one died for all, then are all dead” (2 Cor. 5:14).” Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, ed. James T. Dennison Jr., trans. George Musgrave Giger, vol. 1 (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1992–1997), 625.
