"The Lord Hath Laid On Him The Iniquity Of Us All"  

Isaiah 53:6

     Every word in this sentence is bursting with grace and carries a special, emphatic message. It cannot be adequately expounded by the tongue or pen of a mortal. Here are five glorious facts in this verse, which I gleaned from Tobias Crisp's four hundred page exposition of it.

     1. IT IS INIQUITY THAT WAS CHARGED UPON CHRIST, AS WELL AS THE PUNISHMENT OF IT. Our Savior bore more than the shame and indignation of our sins. He was not merely clothed with sin. He was "made to be sin for us!" He was made to be sin, because there is no other way for sinners to be discharged of sin.

     2. THIS INIQUITY REALLY WAS LAID UPON CHRIST. He was as really the Bearer of the sins of God's elect as a surety is really a debtor, when he willingly puts himself in the place of another. Christ, being our Surety, God cannot expect the debt to be paid by anyone else. He gave his bond. God the Father accepted it. Upon this grounds he has discharged our debt. If he will have payment for sin, he must have it where he laid the debt, from Christ (II Cor. 5:19-21).

     3. THE LORD HIMSELF LAID INIQUITY ON CHRIST. This, the greatest burden in the world, would have sunk us into hell; but Christ put his shoulder to it and the Father laid it upon him!

     4. NONE CAN DISPOSE OF INIQUITY BUT CHRIST. It takes more than our tears of repentance and works of righteousness to dispose of sin. It takes the blood of the holy God-man, his life laid down as a sacrifice for sin, to satisfy the justice of God and dispose of our sin.

     5. "THE LORD HATH LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL," all his elect, all who have been called and shall be called by his Spirit, all who believe on him unto life everlasting! This is the most blessed, comfortable, glorious truth in all the world. God has transferred sin from you to Christ, your Substitute. The text does not say that it shall be done, if you meet certain terms and conditions, but that it has been done! "The LORD hath done it!" This is the word of the gospel that we preach. "The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all!" He will never lay it upon us again!

 

Don Fortner