21 "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
The spring semester in U.S. colleges and universities marks a real stirring of the waters, especially among coaches and student athletes. Players consider transferring to other schools to improve their fit or career opportunities. Coaches consider player transfers to improve their rosters. Similar things happen at the pro level. Sometimes the roster movement works out well. Sometimes it doesn't.
The Bible talks about two transfers that work out unbelievably well. Open to all, these transfers offer epic, eternal results:
God transfers our sin to His Son. Our blame shifts -- all of it. We carry none of it. Instead of living a life of guilt and shame, and blame-shifting to cope with our failures, God remarkably shifted our blame to Christ. That's what the Cross represents. God wanted us back. The Cross proved it. God is serious about sin. We must be too.
God transfers His Son's righteousness to us. Impossible becomes nothing. Our eligibility status forever changes for the good. "Without (this transferred) holiness, no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). God is serious about righteousness. We can and must possess it too.
The effect of these two transfers is staggeringly good. We get the fit we've always longed for. We'll play sin-free in heaven's courts forever and guilt-free now, bearing a righteousness way better than our own. Praise God for making these transfers possible!
Athlete, are you accepting the sin-transfer gift God has provided in Christ, or bearing it alone and hopelessly trying to atone for yourself? Are you treasuring the transfer gift of Christ's righteousness, being confident of your good standing before God because of Him?
