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What is Not Said

“He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

In order to understand what the Holy Ghost here teaches us, let me show you what this text does not say.

Not a Sin Offering

It is not stated, as it is most commonly suggested, that God the Father made his Son “a sin-offering.” The Scriptures do declare, “thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.” Our all-glorious Christ is our sin-offering. We have no offering for sin but him. But that is not what this text says. Here the Holy Spirit declares, “He hath made him sin for us.”

Not a Sacrifice for Sin

The Apostle does here tell us that Christ was made “a sacrifice for sin.” He is that. We rejoice to declare that when our blessed Savior died as our Substitute, he offered himself “one sacrifice for sins” and “sat down on the right hand of God.” Because of his one sacrifice, “there remaineth therefore no more sacrifice for sin!” But here the Spirit of God tells us, “He hath made him sin for us.”

Not Reckoned to be Sin

Again, the Holy Spirit does not tell us here that Christ was “reckoned to be sin” by his Father. That is the way we might read the text, if we followed the implications of our translators in adding those words “to be.” Yes, he was reckoned to be sin and punished as such for us. But here we read, “He hath made him sin for us.” He was reckoned to be sin because “He hath made him sin for us.”

Not Imputed

In the same line of thought, it must be pointed out that our Lord Jesus is not here said to have sin imputed to him. Sin was, indeed, imputed to our Substitute; it was laid to his charge. That is because “He hath made him sin for us.” But as far as the words of Holy Scripture are concerned, it is nowhere stated in the Book of God that sin was imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not a single passage in the Bible that speaks of our sins being imputed to our Savior. In Romans 4 the word “imputation” or its equivalent (accounting or reckoning) is used seven times. It is mentioned again in chapter 5 (v. 13). But in those places God the Holy Ghost speaks of sin not being imputed to us and of righteousness being imputed to us. Yes, our sins were imputed to Christ when he was made sin for us, and because “He hath made him sin for us.” But the Word of God never uses the word impute, or any word like it, to speak of sin being imputed to Christ.

Made Sin

God, who made his Son sin for us, inspired the apostle Paul to state the matter in plain words that cannot be misunderstood, except by men who choose to misrepresent what God has written in the Sacred Volume. — “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Don Fortner

Pastor Fortner’s