We Become What We are Not

This summer I had the immense pleasure to spend ten weeks at a ministry that is geared toward discipleship (see some previous posts).  I had a GREAT summer:  I made some great friends, got to REST, learned about discipleship, and had the awesome privilege to dive in deep to a study called Discovery.  I learned that Chacos can work really well for killing spiders, and that 9:30 AM meetings can feel VERY early if you go to bed at 2 AM every day.  I learned (sadly) that you can form fast and lasting relationships in 10 weeks, and that when you leave these dear ones it starts to feel like a piece of your heart is beating somewhere else in the world, and you miss it.

The spiritual blessings that arose out of this summer were far and away the best thing about it.  It motivated me to keep looking around me for the opportunities that He is putting before me, to keep myself in the Word, and to keep myself in community.  I was reminded that abiding is really what our relationship with Jesus is about, everything else will flow out of that type of relationship.  One of the best things that I took away is something that I have read and heard over and over again as I have lived my life in Christ, but it never penetrated my mind and heart like it did this summer. 

Every week we had a time of "wrap up" to summarize the chapter.  Usually Ray would speak, giving us new perspective on the topic that we had been looking at that week and making certain that key points were not missed.  During wrap up one night he explained a key concept that he would repeat throughout the summer, "Christ became was he was not so that we could become what we are not, and that is righteous."

Okay, so that's basically what this verse says, which I have heard a hundred times:

2 Corinthians 5:21

New International Version (NIV)

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ray went on to talk more specifically about what this means for us as believers.  He talked about the paradox of Jesus becoming sin for us.  He likened it to what it would be like if he, Ray Pettigrew, respected father, husband, elder, leader, D-focus director, traded in his name and to become Jerry Sandusky.  Woah.  That thought was utterly disgusting to me.  Ray is such an amazing man of God.  For him to put himself on that level just didn't compute in my brain.  I had always thought about how Jesus took our sin on the cross, but to think of him becoming my sin just brought it to another level.  Jesus on the cross became a rapist, an adulterer, a liar, a bigot, a porn star, a terrorist, so that all of those people could become the righteousness of God.  Insulting?  Yes.  Horrifying?  Yes.  Humbling?  Absolutely.  But this is the Gospel!  What kind of perfect and holy Son of God would trade in his perfection for the filth of others who don't worship him as righteous?  

Personally this truth has made a big difference in how I confront my sin struggles.  When I am confronted with sin that seems to cycle around and around I claim this truth, and it motivates me to bring it to him more quickly.  When I say, "Jesus, you became a jealous, angry, bitter, insecure person so that I could be righteous," it changes me.  Oddly enough, it doesn't make me feel like I've been given a "get out of jail free" card so that I can continue to act as I want.  It motivates me toward humble thankfulness, and causes me to turn toward repentance in the face of His unending kindness.  It reminds me that I don't have to live there, that I am no longer a slave to these things but a slave to righteousness because that is what Christ died for me to become (Romans 6:19).  

I am so thankful for Truth in my life, for the Word, for Jesus and the reality that he became all of the things that I hate about myself so that I could become free, pure, righteous.