Recently as my wife was editing the first chapter in a new devotional book I am writing she challenged me to explain a statement I had made.
“Sin is not just something we do, sin is who we are.” She seemed taken aback by the statement that I had written under the Spirit’s inspiration, but it forced me to really think about it and to explain it from a scriptural perspective. As I searched the Word and meditated on the statement the Lord spoke emphatically to me, “It is imperative that you understand this for the perfection of my salvation in your life here on earth depends upon this becoming a reality.”

Scriptures states, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB). The NIV translation declares, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (Emphasis mine)

Now listen to what scripture declares about our side of the equation, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8 NIV) The RSV puts it this way, “for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” (Emphasis mine)

It is pretty clear that the scripture is saying that we did not just commit acts or deeds of darkness but we were darkness. In the same way scripture seems to be saying very clearly that Jesus wasn’t just made to bear our sinful acts on the cross, but he bore our sinful lives in his own body. As a result Jesus became sin — He wasn’t afraid to identify with us completely. Paul seemed to have the same revelation, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 5:20a NIV) This verse is almost the same no matter what translation you read and it really began to make sense in light of the preceding versus.

If we could actually travel back in time to Golgotha and had the ability to look into the future we would see ourselves crucified also, yet not as one of the two thieves who died along side of Him but IN Him! The Spirit of the Lord put it this way to me, “Jesus became Jim Golden on Calvary ’s cross and you both died that day, but because you were IN Christ you were also raised from the dead when God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand, far above all rule and authority.” Has Jesus become you on Calvary ’s Tree?

As the reality of this great work of Christ hit me I was deeply impacted to say the least. To think that Jesus wasn’t ashamed to identify with me a wretched sinner brought tears to my eyes. Something was changing in me as a result; I could actually feel His life in me like never before. A new confidence and peace was released in me at that moment.

I have often said that Salvation belongs to the Lord not to us. We obtain His gift by coming to an end of life on our terms and entering into His life, but somehow I always seem to rationalize this away intellectually, however as we know the Kingdom of God is not in word but in demonstration and this reality must become our reality. God is not bound by the limitations of linear time and because of this He has made away for this truth to be much more than words in a book but our experienced reality. Because of His incredible plan of Salvation we have truly become a new creation in Christ. AMEN!