The Greatest Trade of All Time

When I was a boy, one of my favorite activities was collecting baseball cards. My friends and I would come together with our cards, and we would spend hours making trades with each other. Everyone wanted to make the best possible trades and get something for nothing, while no one wanted to get “ripped off.” It was always dangerous to trade with the older boys, because they would trick you into giving up your best cards for little in return! We’ve probably all made trades before, whether we switched snacks, cards, or Monopoly properties. What’s the best trade you ever made?

God also makes trades with us! Not just any trade, but The Greatest Trade of All Time.

For He [God] made Him [Jesus] 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 tells us that God made His only Son become sin on our behalf so that we might become righteous on His behalf. In other words, when Jesus was on the cross, He became our sin, in the fact that He took all of our sins upon Himself. The penalty for our sin was death, but Jesus took that penalty for us. This was despite the fact that Jesus had lived a perfect, completely sinless life. He is the only man who has ever lived who did not deserve to die, yet He did die a horrific death on our behalf.

The great news is that all who believe in Jesus are now able to receive His righteousness. He took our sin so we could take His righteousness. When the Father looks upon us, He does not see our sinful frailty, but He sees the righteousness of His Son Christ. And that is The Greatest Trade of All Time. In salvation we traded our penalty for His Reward, and we now get to be with Him forever in heaven.

This trade does not just stop at salvation, however-it extends to every part of our lives. It is the reason that God can bless us and gives us tremendous promises. Have you ever read one of the great promises of the Bible (“I will never leave you or forsake you,” “My thoughts towards you are good,” etc.) and thought, “This can’t be true for me. I’m unworthy.” If you have, the answer is-you’re right. You are unworthy. But Jesus Christ is worthy, and Christ’s righteousness has been transferred to you.

So our standing in God, our relationship as His child, is not based on our feelings but rather on the perfect righteousness of Christ. Remember that God has made a tremendous trade with you, and He does desire to bless you, to give you victory, to make you a champion in life. It is all through the righteousness of Christ that God graciously gives to all who believe in Him. Focus on Christ and rejoice in Him alone! He has made the trade with you.