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Not Stated

 

“For he hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

 

Read this wonderful revelation of God and carefully observe what is not stated. The very things that are commonly said about 2nd Corinthians 5:21 are specifically not stated here by God the Holy Ghost.

 

Sin-offering

It is not stated, as it is most commonly suggested, that God the Father made his Son “a sin-offering.” The Scriptures do declare, “thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.” Our all-glorious Christ is our sin-offering. We have no offering for sin but him. But that is not what this text says. Here the Holy Spirit declares, “He hath made him sin for us.”

 

A Sacrifice for Sin

The Apostle does here tell us that Christ was made “a sacrifice for sin.” He is that. We rejoice to declare that when our blessed Savior died as our Substitute, he offered himself “one sacrifice for sins” and “sat down on the right hand of God.” Because of his one sacrifice “there remaineth therefore no more sacrifice for sin!” But here the Spirit of God tells us, “He hath made him sin for us.”

 

Reckoned to be Sin

Again, the Holy Spirit does not tell us here that Christ was “reckoned to be sin” by his Father. That is the way we would read the text, if we followed the implications of our translators in adding those words “to be.” Yes, he was reckoned to be sin and punished as such for us. But here we read, “He hath made him sin for us.” Had he not been made sin he could not have been reckoned sin.

 

Sin Imputed to Him

In the same line of thought, it must be pointed out that our Lord Jesus is not here said to have sin imputed to him. Sin was, indeed, imputed to our Substitute; it was laid to his charge. That is because “He hath made him sin for us.” But as far as the words of Holy Scripture are concerned, it is nowhere stated in the Book of God that sin was imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not a single passage in the Bible that speaks of our sins being imputed to our Savior.

      In Romans 4 the word “imputation” or its equivalent (accounting or reckoning) is used seven times. It is mentioned again in chapter 5 (v. 13). But in those places God the Holy Spirit speaks of sin not being imputed to us and of righteousness being imputed to us. Yes, our sins were imputed to Christ when he was made sin for us, and because “He hath made him sin for us.” But the Word of God never uses the word impute, or any word like it, to speak of sin being imputed to Christ.

      The Scriptures never tell us how this was done, only that God did it. And every attempt of man to explain the mystery is only the shrouding of the mystery. Our all-glorious Christ was wondrously, mysteriously, inexplicably cause to become, created, “sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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