THE GREAT EXCHANGE!

 

Do you remember your elementary school days, when you exchanged lunch with other kids? You ate their lunch and they ate yours, and you were both full and happy.  During an exchange, each party ends up with something that wasn’t originally theirs. And what they get back is often more satisfying!

 In the GREAT EXCHANGE, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is trading His place with mankind; He is taking on the sin of man, and man is taking on His righteousness.  You might be wondering, “What kind of satisfaction or benefit can Jesus really get from taking on the sin of man?” That’s a good question. God chose Jesus to be our sin-bearer out of love for us, and bearing our sins restores our relationship with God (see John 3:16). Jesus is satisfied with this exchange for at least two reasons: one, He gets to show love, respect, and obedience to the Father, and two, He gets to be part of our redemption, thus becoming our older brother!

 What Jesus gave in exchange for our sins was His very life, kingship, authority, power, and beauty. That was a lot to give up to rescue wretched sinners like us. Think about it: how many kings who have the power to command angels (servants) would allow themselves to go through the kind of ordeal Jesus went through? For instance, when Jesus was arrested in the garden, one of His disciples pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave, in an attempt to defend Jesus. You’d think Jesus would be grateful and happy that His friends were loyally defending Him. But no! Instead, He rebuked that disciple, “Put away your sword, … Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” (Matthew 26:52-54) What an expensive exchange! Jesus was determined to please the Father and redeem us through this exchange, no matter the cost.

What do we wretched sinners get from the exchange? Jesus took on the punishment for our sins, and we took on His righteousness! But what does that mean? In order for God’s justice to be satisfied, the sinner has to be punished. Jesus took on that punishment so that anyone who believes and accepts Him is forgiven and is clothed with Jesus’ righteousness. And for that, the Scriptures say: “To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13). To confirm this exchange, God sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts: “Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir’” (Galatians 4:6-7). Oh, what an exchange! Our sins are gone, and now God sees only the righteousness of His Son. Oh, what joy!

With our sonship comes inheritance, because after all, inheritance is one of the benefits of sonship. So, what’s our inheritance? Firstly, the Holy Spirit is the guarantee for our future. In other words, if you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you are a child of God and your inheritance is sealed. Secondly, our inheritance is waiting for us in heaven as Peter tells us: “We live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance-an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:4).   

This is exciting: the best exchange ever! Our sins are gone, and we look forward to the joys of heaven. The best part will be seeing Jesus face-to-face, and bowing at His knee in worship! This will be amazing. And then we’ll get to participate in all the activities of heaven. First and foremost, there’ll be no tears, pain, misery, mourning, or anything negative. Our inheritance is safe and secure; nobody will ever take it away from us. It will be so safe, there’ll be no need to close doors or gates. We’ll be with each other as we worship the Father and Son.

What will heaven itself look like? It won’t be like anything we’ve seen before. The gates are made of pearls, the streets are of gold, and there’ll be no need for the sun or moon to shine because our heavenly Father lights up the place.. Then there’ll be that amazing throne with God on it and Jesus sitting beside Him. Can you imagine? What an exchange, what an exchange! We are on the winning side! This indeed is a great exchange!

Dear reader, do you have this hope that I’m sharing? Please don’t choose anything else over this. Nothing in this world or in hell in the future could be better. Imagine yourself in misery in hell, and then imagine yourself in heaven with God. Which existence would you prefer? I encourage you to choose wisely; your eternal future depends on the choice you make today. If you prefer to be in heaven, repent of your sins, ask God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. The Holy Spirit in your heart will teach you how to live by obeying the Word of God.

Participate in the great exchange, and you will be set for life and beyond!