Thursday, October 8, 2026
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Reflection
Here is one of the most staggering trades ever recorded, and most of us walk past it today without catching our breath. Think about what is actually being said. Christ, who never once sinned in thought, word, or deed, who never had a moment of selfishness or pride or doubt, was made to be sin. Not just a sinner’s substitute, but sin itself, in some mysterious way that bore the full weight of what you and I have earned.
And here is the other side of the trade: in him, we become the righteousness of God. Not a slightly improved version of ourselves. Not a moral upgrade. The righteousness of God, credited to our account, as if we had lived Christ’s perfect life ourselves.
This is why your standing before God this morning has nothing to do with how well you performed yesterday or how you feel about yourself right now. If you are in Christ, you are not wearing your own righteousness, patched together and threadbare. You are wearing his, given freely, at infinite cost to him.
So when guilt whispers that you have failed too badly, too often, remember the trade. When pride tells you that you have earned God’s favor, remember the trade. You brought him sin. He gave you his righteousness. That is grace, and it is still true of you today.
Lord Jesus, thank you for taking what was mine so I could have what is yours. Help me live today resting in that exchange, not trying to earn what you have already given.
Sources & attribution
Devotional from Morning Selah.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.