For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
"What could anyone possibly see in him?" No doubt, you've heard someone ask that question, or some variation of it many times in the past. You may even be guilty of asking it yourself. Far too often, we ask a question like that before we really know a person or without giving him a fair shake. It's something we all have to be careful about.
That said, in one sense, it's a question that could be asked about anyone of us. We can all ask what God could ever see in us. In one respect, I do not, nor will I ever know the answer, but in another, I know exactly what He sees.
In my natural state, I don't understand what God ever saw in me that made Him conclude that I was worth His time. I don't understand His love for mankind. On my own, I'm a sinner that has done nothing but break His law time after time. That's all that any of us are. Many people reject God's offer of salvation after being presented with the gospel. They might as well spit in God's face. Yet, the offer still stands.
How many of us would display grace to someone that offended us -- sometimes intentionally -- time after time? If we did, how many of us would leave the offer on the table after having it rejected? Few, if any of us, would do so. Compound that with the fact that, unlike God, we are not owed anything by anyone, and that our offenses against Him are much greater than what anyone could ever do to us, and God's grace, forgiveness, and love becomes all the more unfathomable. Quite honestly, there's nothing about us that gives us any merit before God.
Even so, He still loves us. That's the part I don't understand, but let's move on to the part I do understand. In God's eyes, there is a complete transformation of one who accepts His salvation. God no longer sees the sin of that person. He only sees the results of a marvelous change that He has wrought.
The Bible teaches that on the cross, Jesus Christ literally became our sin. When we accept Him as Saviour, we can reckon our sins to be nailed to the cross. They are dead. But that's not all that happens. With the debt paid and the sin gone, something else takes its place. The removal of our sin makes us righteous. Another way to phrase it is to say that Jesus Christ became what we are so that we could become what He is. He became sin. He took the wrath of God upon said sin. I became righteous. I became accepted in the beloved.
When God looks at me now, he doesn't see any sin whatsoever. Rather, he sees the blood of His darling Son. When He looks at me, He doesn't see an outcast or a stranger. Rather, He sees one of His own children. What does God see in me? He sees His own righteousness. It's only because of what He has done, but when God looks at me, He sees a very impressive sight.
"What could anyone possibly see in him?" No doubt, you've heard someone ask that question, or some variation of it many times in the past. You may even be guilty of asking it yourself. Far too often, we ask a question like that before we really know a person or without giving him a fair shake. It's something we all have to be careful about.
That said, in one sense, it's a question that could be asked about anyone of us. We can all ask what God could ever see in us. In one respect, I do not, nor will I ever know the answer, but in another, I know exactly what He sees.
In my natural state, I don't understand what God ever saw in me that made Him conclude that I was worth His time. I don't understand His love for mankind. On my own, I'm a sinner that has done nothing but break His law time after time. That's all that any of us are. Many people reject God's offer of salvation after being presented with the gospel. They might as well spit in God's face. Yet, the offer still stands.
How many of us would display grace to someone that offended us -- sometimes intentionally -- time after time? If we did, how many of us would leave the offer on the table after having it rejected? Few, if any of us, would do so. Compound that with the fact that, unlike God, we are not owed anything by anyone, and that our offenses against Him are much greater than what anyone could ever do to us, and God's grace, forgiveness, and love becomes all the more unfathomable. Quite honestly, there's nothing about us that gives us any merit before God.
Even so, He still loves us. That's the part I don't understand, but let's move on to the part I do understand. In God's eyes, there is a complete transformation of one who accepts His salvation. God no longer sees the sin of that person. He only sees the results of a marvelous change that He has wrought.
The Bible teaches that on the cross, Jesus Christ literally became our sin. When we accept Him as Saviour, we can reckon our sins to be nailed to the cross. They are dead. But that's not all that happens. With the debt paid and the sin gone, something else takes its place. The removal of our sin makes us righteous. Another way to phrase it is to say that Jesus Christ became what we are so that we could become what He is. He became sin. He took the wrath of God upon said sin. I became righteous. I became accepted in the beloved.
When God looks at me now, he doesn't see any sin whatsoever. Rather, he sees the blood of His darling Son. When He looks at me, He doesn't see an outcast or a stranger. Rather, He sees one of His own children. What does God see in me? He sees His own righteousness. It's only because of what He has done, but when God looks at me, He sees a very impressive sight.
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