"The Iniquity of Us All"

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6 ESV)

“Laid the iniquity of us all on Him.” Isaiah’s messianic prophecy of Christ bearing our sins, which He obediently did in an act of substitutionary atonement. Meaning the wrath or anger of God towards our sin was borne by Jesus. The punishment we were to take, He took Himself paying for our sin debt. Amazing, the love and obedience of Jesus is it not?

But, when you look at this, how do you see it? Do you realize the depth of this sacrifice? Let us first look at Jesus. Jesus is eternal, meaning he existed before time with the Father and the Spirit. To restore humanity's ability to have a relationship with God, He, Jesus, left heaven and, through the Spirit, was born in human form while still retaining His deity, or Godliness.

A God, sinless and perfect in every way, left heaven to come here in the dirt, sin, and violence of this world. Jesus is perfectly righteous; there is no flaw in Him. That is why He is a treasure and should be worshipped as such. Paul wrote,  ^“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7) Yet “He became a curse” that you might be redeemed (Galatians 3:13).

Let us take this a little deeper yet. Not only did Jesus pay for the believer's sins, but He also paid for all of them. The ones you have committed, and the ones you will commit. We are inherently sinners and will only be changed by God over time. So, in the interim, when you sin and repent your sins, Christ forgives. I want to clarify the term "repentance". Repentance does not mean that you are crushed by your sin. Yes, it may be emotional and frustrating, and it may cause feelings of failure before God. It does not mean you say, “I am sorry” to God and turn right around and do it again. That is not a repentant heart; that is a heart that is comfortable with sinning.

In our repentance, we must take steps in turning from our sins. If we are lured by alcohol or drugs, we take steps to be accountable so we are not being placed in a position to sin. If we have an anger problem, we seek counseling or help elsewhere to learn to deal with our anger. Whatever weakness the enemy exploits, we must take steps to prevent that sin from reappearing. It is not easy, but the Holy Spirit is there to strengthen us.

The depth of the sin-bearing nature of Christ is often downplayed or overlooked. We must realize that our righteousness, our cleansing, is forever. Christ paid for the believer's sins once and for all. No longer are we liable in the repentant heart. There is no condemnation for those in Christ. (Romans 8:1) What an amazing truth that Christ did this out of love for the Father and for His creation.

But, how could one man in a few short hours pay for all this of every elect of God for all times? That is a staggering thought; however, it is true. The answer is simple and emotionally overwhelming. That man/God is worth more than all of creation itself. More than every star, every planet, every person, butterfly, every dolphin, every baby, every bit of creation, Jesus is worth more. He is God. Christ died so that those who believe in Him are saved from the wrath of their sin from God, saved by God, and most wonderful of all, saved for God. For God to cherish and love for all eternity.

Do you know freedom from your sins? Have you placed your faith in the risen Son of God, trusting in His finished work on the cross? Have you truly repented of your sins? If not, there is no time like the present. Seek Christ now and know the peace of the Lord for eternity.

Grace and Peace.