Today, we read of Jesus being tried by the religious leaders of His day. But it was they who were on trial. As the saying goes, “If you wrongly judge Christ, He will rightly judge you.” God sent His Son into the world to take our judgment upon Himself that we might not be judged. Someone must pay for your sin. It will either be you or Jesus. If you are judged for your sin, there is no coming back. Only Jesus could pay the price for you by dying for your sins and then coming back to life.
John 3:16–21 (NLT) 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
As The Apostle Paul put it in 2Corinthians 5:21…
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT)
I call this principle “the Divine swap”. Jesus took our sins and was treated the way we deserve to be treated in order that those of us who believe in Him can receive His righteousness and be treated by God the way Christ deserves. What an incredible swap! The only way any of us can become righteous in God’s eyes is through this divine swap that takes place when you simply trust Christ’s work on the cross for salvation rather than trusting in your own goodness. There is no other way to heaven. Reject God’s plan in Christ and you have no remedy.
Won’t you trust in Christ for salvation today?
Pastor Mike