Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Greatest Exchange in History


When He had received the drink, Jesus said,
“It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head
and gave up his spirit. 
                                   John 19:30 NIV                                                

      Most of us have made an exchange of merchandise at a local department store. When we return the item to be exchanged, we receive a receipt marked exchange or refund. Exchanges happen every day. But the greatest exchange in history happened over two thousand years ago.

     Centuries before Christ walked the earth, the prophet Isaiah wrote of the coming Messiah. He told of the pain and sufferings of Christ as he would be led like “a lamb to the slaughter”. (Isaiah 53:7) In 53:11, Isaiah revealed that “after the suffering of His (Messiah’s) soul, He will justify many”. And the apostle Paul explained it in Ephesians 4:22-24; “Their life of sin is stripped away, and they are clothed with Christ’s goodness.”

     The Bible teaches that the exchange took place on the cross of Calvary as Christ gave up His spirit. The Greek word used for gave up in John 19:30 means to forgive, pardon, remit or cancel. His was a willing exchange.

     Christ left everything in heaven—His Father, the angels bowing down, His royal diadem, His throne. He left it all, as He stepped into a body of flesh, zipped it up over His glory and became as one of us. He exchanged His glory for my sin. “It is finished”—His final proclamation from the cross.

      My acceptance of that exchange happened the moment that I received Christ as my Savior. The old life of sin and shame was forgiven, pardoned, and cancelled for a new life in Christ. He remitted, or paid the price, for what I owed.  

     So, the next time you go to a department store to exchange some merchandise, remember the exchange made on the cross of Calvary. Have you already accepted what Christ has done for you? If the answer is yes, praise God today for his unspeakable gift. If the answer is no, now would be the perfect time for you to exchange a life of sin for the righteousness of Christ and become part of the greatest exchange in history.

©Joyce Powell
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