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
Each week we are going through the entire New Testament of the Bible, from
Matthew to Revelation, stopping at each verse that tells us how we might gain eternal life in heaven.
When we gain the "righteousness of God," we have gained eternal life with God in heaven forever. But, how do we gain this righteousness? Is it by trying as hard as we can to do good works and avoid sin and obey the Ten Commandments? We should do these things, out of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, but do you really think that we can gain the "righteousness of God" in this way? Just think of the many times that each of us sin in a day or in a week. Let's say that you or I sin three times a day. This is more than 1,000 sins in a year. Then, let's multiply our age by these 1,000 sins per year. Can you really stand before God with this much sin and claim the "righteousness of God?"
You may say that you do many good things for each sin. But, if you make an omelet with five good eggs and one bad egg, what is the result? No, we will never get to heaven by being good enough or by trying to live a sin free life. There must be another way.
And, praise God, this verse tells us about that other way. When Jesus died on
the cross at Calvary, God placed the entire sin of the entire world, past, present, and future, upon Him. Jesus, with His shed blood, thus paid the price for all that sin (Hebrews 9:19-28). The blood of God (Jesus), and ONLY this blood, and nothing else, was equal to the price for all our sin. The price for your salvation and my salvation has already been paid. It is as if a bank were holding a check with your name on it. But, you would have to show up and claim it. We must claim God's great gift of eternal life by believing and trusting in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for our sin, and nothing else. It
is as simple as that and when we transfer our trust from ourself, and our own perceived goodness, to Jesus, we have gained eternal life - Praise God!