Exploring 2 Corinthians 5:21

This verse is one of the most precious verses in all of the Bible. No verse sums up the entirety of the Gospel like this single verse does. What a powerful verse this is! The reason for this verse being placed in this particular location is that the Apostle Paul is summing up the purpose of reconciliation. He is further explaining reconciliation. He is explaining this mystery of how a sinner can be reconciled to a Holy God! It is a very important verse in the Bible.

Note that reconciliation was done for our sake! For the sake of the Bride of Christ. For the purpose of redeeming His people. When you sacrifice your life savings, so that your child can have cancer treatment, you have done this for their sake. You have sacrificed all that you have for the sake of someone else. The idea of reconciliation was done — it was purposed — for our sake.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
—1 John 4:10

Jesus Christ knew no sin. He is perfect. He was perfect then. He is perfect now. No flaw. He is Holy! Holy is He! And yet, for our sake, God the Father made His Son to be sin for us. This is the idea of imputation. This is an extremely important doctrine for us to understand. On the cross, God took all of our sin and laid it on Jesus. He was the atonement for our sin. All of our sin was laid upon Him. Look back at verse 15, “And He died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who died and was raised.” Don’t you see how this whole passage comes together?

We are Ambassadors! But we must understand what that means. There is no excuse for you to live like the world. There is no excuse for you to walk away after going through this study and not be well-equipped and prepared to change your life to look like a Godly Ambassador for Christ! There is no excuse for you to allow the culture to dictate what your life is to look like. You are to rid yourself of all of the ways of this world and the desires of your old self and to walk as a New Creation, an Ambassador!

On the cross, Jesus Christ did not become a sinner. Yet, by imputation, He took on our sin. On the cross, Jesus Christ remained Holy! Yet, by imputation, He was treated as a sinner. On the cross, Jesus Christ was sinless. Yet, by imputation, paid the penalty for our sin. On the cross, Jesus remained Perfect! Yet, by imputation, the wrath of God was poured out on Him.

So that “we”—that is the believer in Christ, the Ambassador—might become the righteousness of God. At this point of our salvation, we are Justified — Reconciled to the Holy God. From this point begins our Sanctification. When you have submitted your life to Christ by putting your Faith and Trust in Jesus, the natural byproduct of what happens next is your Sanctification. You begin to walk with Christ. You begin to Grow in Christ. Your life begins to produce Fruit and good works.