That We Might Become

2 Corinthians 5:21 (MSG)
²¹ How? you say. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

God reached out to us when we did not deserve His love and mercy. He extended His grace to us when we did not seek it. We were loved by Him even though we did not love Him. He did it in a way that is difficult to conceive and hard to believe. Can we fully understand that Jesus, who was sinless, became our sin? He became the sin that you and I have done and will do. He became all the sin that was and is to come, but only for those who believe in Him and accept His call.

Why? He did it so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. In Him we can draw close to God, we can stand before our Father as sons and daughters, and we can joyfully live in His presence forevermore. If He had not done what He did, we could only stand before Him to be judged and then removed for all time, cast out.

He made a way when there was no way. There was no way for us to get there on our own. But the choice is still ours. Freedom of choice is necessary for love but there is risk isn’t there? We can choose right or wrong. He has put our lives and our future in our hands. We don’t have to guess at the right answer and the implications. He came to tell us what is necessary for us to live, that we might become like Him.