4月6日
标 题： 神使祂负罪
经 节： 神使那无罪的，替我们成为罪，好叫我们在祂里面成为神的义。（哥林多后书五章21节）
这句经文应该使我们颤惊。身为基督徒，我们为自己的救恩心存感激，也为被收养成为神的儿女感恩。然而，我们却永远不能理解，耶稣为我们的罪付上何等可怕的代价，叫我们的罪得赦免，并且将祂的公义赐给我们。让神无罪的爱子，背负全人类所有的罪恶，是多么令人憎恶的事？这是什么样的爱，使天父眼睁睁地看着自己的独子，在十字架上忍受极度的痛苦？
先知以赛亚概述人类的情况：“我们都像不洁净的人；所有的义都像污秽的衣服。”（以赛亚书六十四：6上）就算是大祭司约书亚在神的百姓中被高举，他在神面前仍是穿着污秽的衣服（撒迦利亚书三：3）。使徒保罗在神面前竭尽全力追求公义，最后发觉自己费力讨神欢喜的结果，只不过是一堆废物（腓立比书三：4～10）。无论什么事，都不可能达到神对公义的标准，这是人类的困境。然而，恩典的奇迹是神脱去我们污秽的衣服，给我们换上华美的义袍（撒迦利亚书三：4）。在这令人敬畏的调换中，神把人类众罪放在自己公义爱子的身上。耶稣被视为与我们的罪同等，圣经上说神使祂替我们成爲罪。神的圣子所付出的，不可能比这更多了！承受天父对祂所背负之罪的愤怒，比任何人对祂的厌弃与肉体的痛苦，要来得更难忍受。
永远不要把天父所赐的公义视为理所当然，永远不要轻看你罪得赦免的恩典。要以配得祂公义的态度行事为人。
He Made His to Be Sin
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
This verse should startle us and cause us to tremble. It is not a verse
to be read quickly and passed over. As Christians we are grateful to be
forgiven of our sins. We are thankful we have been adopted as God’s children.
Yet we will never comprehend the awesome price that Jesus paid to cleanse us of
our sin and to give us His righteousness. How abhorrent was it for the sinless
Son of God to have every sin of humanity placed upon Him? What love was
required for the Father to watch His only Son bear the excruciating pain of our
sin upon the cross?
The prophet Isaiah summarized the human condition: “We are all like an
unclean thing, / And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).
Even the high priest, Joshua, in his exalted position among God’s people, was
clothed in filthy rags before God (Zech. 3:3). The apostle Paul, who labored
arduously to be righteous before God, realized that his most strenuous efforts
to please God were no more valuable than rubbish (Phil. 3:4–10). The plight of
humanity is that nothing we could ever do could satisfy God’s desire for
righteousness. But the miracle of God’s mercy is that God exchanges our “filthy
rags” for “rich robes” of righteousness (Zech. 3:4).
In this awesome exchange, God placed the sin of humanity upon His
righteous Son. Jesus became so identified with our sin that Scripture says God
made Him to be sin on our behalf. The holy Son of God could not possibly do
more for us than this! Experiencing the Father’s wrath upon the sin He carried
would have been more painful to endure than any human rejection or physical
suffering.
Never take the righteousness God has given you for granted. Never take
the forgiveness of your sin lightly. It cost God a terrible price in order to
forgive you and make you righteous. Walk in a manner worthy of the
righteousness He has given you.
