"He Was Manifested To Take Away Our
Sins; And In Him Is No Sin"
I John 3:5
Though he was made to be
sin for us, when he bore our sins in his own body on the tree, OUR LORD JESUS
CHRIST HAD NO SIN OF HIS OWN. He had no original sin, because he was not
represented by Adam in the garden of Eden. He had no
Adamic sin nature, because he was not descended from Adam. He is the Seed of
the woman. His human body and soul were created by the Holy Spirit in the
virgin's womb. And he had no actual sin. He never thought, felt, said, or did a
sinful thing. "He knew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
Our Savior "was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners."
In order for him to be a suitable sacrifice for sin, it was necessary that our
Substitute be without sin, innocent, righteous and holy. Our Redeemer had to be
God. Otherwise he could not satisfy the law and justice of God. He had to be a
man. Otherwise he could not suffer for man. And he must be without sin.
Otherwise he would be required to suffer for his own sin. "In him is no
sin!"
YET, IN ORDER TO REDEEM US FROM OUR SINS,
THE SON OF GOD WAS MADE TO BE SIN FOR US. By an act of divine imputation the
sins and guilt of God's elect were transferred from us to Christ, our Substitute.
Our sins became his sins (II Cor.
BY THIS DIVINE SUBSTITUTION THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST, BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF, HAS PUT AWAY OUR SINS. Our glorious
Mediator, who had no sin, but was made to be sin for us, once again has no sin.
This is our assurance of eternal salvation. Christ, who took our sins off us
and onto himself, dying under the just penalty of sin, has put away our sins
forever! The proof that he has done so is the fact that he is risen from the dead, seated at the right hand of the Majesty
on high in glorious exaltation, and makes intercession for us. And the
intercession of our great Advocate cannot be denied by God, because our
Advocate is "Jesus Christ the Righteous; and he is the (immutably effect-
ual, justice satisfying) Propitiation for our sins!"
Don Fortner