The Great Exchange of the Cross

The doctrine of Christ’s Substitutionary sacrifice is one of the most profound and far reaching in the whole of Scripture. We are taught that an exchange took place at Calvary.

H R Willmington describes this exchange in his guide to the Bible as follows; “The Son of God became the son of man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God.”

Another respected Bible teacher, Derek Prince (1915-2003) outlines some of the implications of this exchange in his aptly named booklet, “The Divine Exchange”:

“Here is the true meaning and purpose of the Cross. On it a divinely ordained exchange took place. First, Jesus endured in our place all the evil consequences that were due by divine justice to our iniquity. Now, in exchange, God offers us all the good that was due to the sinless obedience of Jesus.

Stated more briefly, the evil due to us came upon Jesus, that, in return, the good due to Jesus might be offered to us. God is able to offer this to us without compromising His own eternal justice, because Jesus has already endured on our behalf all the just punishment due to our iniquities.

All of this proceeds solely out of the unfathomable grace of God, and it is received solely by faith. There is no logical explanation in terms of cause and effect. None of us has ever done anything to deserve such an offer, and none of us can ever do anything to earn it.

Scripture reveals many different aspects of the exchange, and many different areas in which it applies. In each case, however, the same principle holds good: “the evil came upon Jesus that the corresponding good might be offered to us.””

The Divine Exchange, Derek Prince, DPM Publishers, ISBN 1-901144-01-1, page 7

Consider the following Truths…

Punished – Forgiven

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is 53:6 NKJV)

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom 5:1 NKJV)

Wounded – Healed

“Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses) And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.” (Is 53:4 NKJV)

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1Pet 2:24 NKJV)

Made Sin – Righteous

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2Cor 5:21 NKJV)

“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is 53:6 NKJV)

Death – Life

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23 NKJV)

Poverty – Abundance

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2Cor 8:9 NKJV)

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2Cor 9:8 NKJV)

Shame – Glory

“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2 NKJV)

Rejection – Acceptance

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.” (Matt 27:46,50 NKJV)

“having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Eph 1:5-6 NKJV)

Curse – Blessing

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3:13-14 NKJV)

“his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.” (Deut 21:23 NKJV)

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If you want some awesome in depth teaching on the atonement and all that it means for you head on over to http://www.jesuschrist.co.uk/spiritlife/lesson-modules/5-the-atonement/