God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Have you ever wondered, “Why the cross? Why did the Son of God have to die on a cross in order to forgive my sins?”

The answer to that question is at once complex and incredibly simple. The cross reveals God’s wisdom through what it allowed Him to accomplish. And it all centers around this one idea:

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us…”

What on earth does that mean? How and why did God make Jesus to be sin? 

In order for sinners to be reconciled to God sin had to be removed from our record, but in order for that to happen someone had to pay the ultimate price. After all, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). 

You and I would never cut it, because for us death was what we deserved. God needed a substitute, but not just any substitute. He needed One who was like us in every way except without sin, so the Son of God took on flesh and was born of a woman. You know the rest of the story…

He lived a perfect life and was tempted with every sin known to man, yet remained sinless… 

He enjoyed a righteous standing before God…

But wait: in order for the Spotless Lamb to become our substitute He would have to become like us in every way, right?

Do you see a problem? If Jesus were to become like us in every way (sin included) His righteous standing before God would be lost, and with it His ability to be our substitute. How could Jesus become like us in every way while still remaining sinless? How could He have “bore our sins in his body” (1 Peter 2:24) without having committed a single sin?

This is where the cross comes in. 

In Deuteronomy 21:23, it states that any man killed by being hung on a tree is cursed by God (the word tree could literally mean tree, stake, or piece of wood). (While we don't have the space here to explain why this is, I'd be happy to discuss it with anyone curious.)

When Jesus was crucified (hung on a piece of wood) He, through no fault or action of His own, became cursed (Galatians 3:13): He endured sin’s consequence without having committed a single sin. By doing so He was able to carry our sins with Him into death (1 Peter 2:24), and thereby remove sin from our record completely. He was made to be sin on our behalf. 

The Spotless Lamb became what we were – people cursed by sin’s effect – so that we could become what He is: righteous children of God. 

The cross represents God’s wisdom unlike anything else in history because it enabled a perfect man to endure sin’s ultimate consequence while remaining sinless.

As a result, those who put their faith in Jesus enjoy a righteous standing before God that only a righteous person could have attained.

Did you know that for those who belong to Jesus, sin has been “put to death” on the cross? (Yes, even the sin we still struggle with.) Take a moment today and reflect on that truth, then thank God that He has dealt with your sin once and for all.