For Our Sake - by Stephen Blankenship

Verse of the Month Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” ESV

God did what? ….for who?

I think that is two very important questions that God gives us the answer to in 2 Corinthians 5:21.

It has been said that this verse may be the most concise presentation of the gospel in all of Scripture.

This is one of my favorite verses of scripture as it reminds us of what God did for us in reconciling us to Himself. There are so many different sections of this verse that we could and should emphasize. Over the years in my life different portions of this verse have stood out more so than others. Part of it has to do with where I was in my spiritual maturity, part of it was the translation in which I was reading the verse. See, for me I first memorized this verse in the NIV (I know, don’t judge), then the KJV, and then the NKJV. Although, the meaning is the same, the words are slightly different or in a slightly different order. But now committing this scripture to memory from the ESV personalizes who these Words are for up front, so we don’t miss it.

God did What? …for who?

See the ESV is the only version that starts out with the words, “For Our Sake.” In the preceding verses Paul, writing to the church of Corinth, was explaining how we are Ambassadors for Christ, how we are to be ministers of reconciliation. Paul was imploring them and ultimately us to be reconciled to God. Then he concludes with his justification of why we should be reconciled to God in verse 21.

This justification reminded us that the burden of sin that Christ took on was “FOR OUR SAKE!” For it was our sin, your sin, my sin that Christ bore upon that cross.
So we are not left wondering, right out the gate, we are presented with the truth that what God did was for you, for me, “For Our Sake!”

And what exactly was it that God did? He did the unimaginable! Scripture says that “…He made Christ to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him [IN CHRIST] we might become the righteousness of God.”

It is important for us to understand that when the scripture says God “made [Christ] to be sin” the idea that Jesus became sin for us does not mean that He became a sinner, not even for a moment. Rather it means that Jesus, although sinless, was treated as if He were not. Although He remained Holy, He was regarded as guilty of all the sin in the world. Ultimately our sin was imputed (attributed) to Him, to Christ. Christ became the perfect atoning sacrifice, the substitute, the recipient of God’s wrath and judgement against sin. So that in Him Christ righteousness through faith would be imputed (attributed) to us.

I remember back in 2013 when we were in Agaves Mexico just outside Guadalajara on a Mission Trip working out of church called Roca Furta and one morning it was my turn to share the devotion for the day. This passage was the passage that God had laid upon my heart about why we were there on Mission with God. As I closed with 2 Corinthians 5:21 I quoted the verse from the KJV but left off the last two words, “in him”. One of the dear older ladies that was serving on our trip was quick to bring to my attention how important those last two words, “in Him” were. Because without “Him”, without Christ there is no becoming righteous on my part. But “in Him,” in Christ, His righteousness is attributed to us so that we become in right standing with God!

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21

At Glory Fellowship 2 Corinthians 5:21 is our corporate scripture memory verse of the month. For more on this verse and 2 Corinthians 5:21 see Dr. Adam Brewer’s sermon series “That You May Believe and Have Life in Christ”.

This has been a Verse of the Month (VOM) QuickTake. #vomquicktake #vom #foroursake