Our Substitute – March 1. 2020

Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:19

Our Substitute

A basketball player got hurt in the big game. There was no way he could make a meaningful contribution to the outcome, much less finish the game. The coach had to send in a substitute. It ended up being a good move because the substitute ended up winning the game for the team.

We have all heard stories like this. In some ways, it is the same thing that happened to all people. We all needed a substitute—not to win the big game, but to save us from our sin. You see, we have all inherited sin from the first man who ever sinned, a man named Adam. This is what our Bible reading for today refers to as “the disobedience of the one man.” His disobedience made all of us disobedient. And this disobedience ruins our relationship with our holy heavenly Father.

We could never save ourselves, no matter how hard we tried. In order to save ourselves, we would need to be perfect every single day of our lives. The trouble is that we are not perfect.

Because we couldn’t do it, God sent a substitute, Jesus Christ. He was perfect, in every way. This is part of what our Bible reading refers to as “the obedience of the one man.” Jesus lived as our Substitute, doing what we could not do. More than that, he willingly went to the cross to suffer and die to pay for our sins. Again, he was acting as our substitute, because he was punished in our place. In addition, Jesus rose from the dead, showing that he had won the victory. He shares that victory with us. Heaven is waiting for those who have been brought to believe in Jesus as their Savior.

We thank our God for sending in the substitute, Jesus Christ, for through him we have the victory.

Prayer:
Jesus, my perfect substitute, thank you for the victory you won for me. May my victory cry always be about your love, grace, and mercy. Amen.