The Wondrous Exchange (2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2)

One of the challenges of preaching a familiar passage of Scripture is just that: its familiarity. We can become so accustomed to the content and cadence that the text both loses its awe and its meaning. John 3:16 is like that and most every preacher I know comes to such a text with the sigh of 2 Corinthians 2:16: “Who is sufficient for these things?” Our inadequacy to plumb the depths of such a profound text quickly becomes apparent. When considering such texts, we find ourselves spending a lot of time getting ourselves out of the text trying to look at it with fresh eyes. This is important, for our ideas of its meaning may, in fact, be wrong. I remember nearly 35 years ago reading a sermon by B. B. Warfield on John 3:16 and, for the first time, coming to realise that, when the text says “God so loved the world,” the emphasise was not primarily on the scope of God’s love (it reach) but rather upon the object of his love (a sinful world—its wretchedness). Seen in this light, John 3:16 moved from the somewhat sentimental to the profoundly moving. As we return to this text, we should beware of assuming our understanding of it is sufficient.

One thing that can hinder an accurate exposition is ignoring the context.

Paul is being judged in accordance with a worldly, fleshly, superficial lens by his critics, including some poisoned members of the church at Corinth. He therefore rebukes them with the gospel truth that a profound change takes place in the life of the Christian. As a new creature, we have a new lens by which we evaluate the world. And related, we evaluate believers differently since they have become a new creation in Christ.

Having highlighted this new creation transformation (5:16–17), Paul is moved to speak of the reconciliation with God that arises in association with God’s work of new creation (5:18–21). He knows that a deeper understanding of the gospel will transform the believer’s evaluation of the world and everything and everyone in it. Reconciliation and re-evaluation go hand in hand.

Finally, Paul’s appreciation of God’s new creation and its associated reconciliation lays the groundwork for his proclamation and exhortation with reference to this reconciliation (6:1–2).

As we saw previously, this exhortation was with reference to the estranged relationship between Paul and some in the congregation. Having lost sight of their being a new creation, and having lost sought of God’s gracious and amazing work of reconciliation, they were once again in need of being reconciled to God (v. 20). As Guthrie observes,

This is the concern Paul is carrying and he alludes to it again, most notably in 13:5: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realise this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test.”

The only way to accurately examine our profession of faith is by scanning our profession with the light of the gospel—the message of what God has done to remove the cause of our being estranged from God: our sin. This is the heart of this passage, and at the “heart of the heart” is v. 21 where Paul writes one of the most profound verses in all of Scripture, what Calvin called the “wondrous exchange” and what F. F. Bruce spoke of as the “sweet exchange.” We will focus on this wondrous exchange under three headings:

1. New Creation and the Wondrous Exchange (5:17)
2. Sovereign Reconciliation and the Wondrous Exchange (5:18–21)
3. Urgent Proclamation of the Wondrous Exchange (6:1–2)

New Creation and the Wondrous Exchange

Paul is unpacking what it means to be “in Christ” (5:17), and what it means, of course, is that the believer has undergone a divinely initiated re-creation, a divinely produced new creation. Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (5:17).

The phrase “a new creation” means that something must have been wrong with the original creation. And, of course, there was.

Shortly after creation, sin entered God’s world. Humans became estranged/alienated from God (psychological), from one another (social/relational), and from his surroundings (environmental). This estrangement literally affected the world (Romans 8:18–22).

But, the most severe estrangement, the most tragic alienation, was between God and man. Man was now at enmity with God. The first creation was alienated from God and needed to be reconciled to God.

Therefore, when Paul speaks of a “new creation,” his premise is that a reconciliation has taken place. That is, alienation has been removed. No wonder Paul exclaims, “Behold, the new has come.” That is, “Behold! reconciliation has occurred and thus all is being renewed! This is a whole new world!”

Before proceeding, pause and ponder whether you are a new creation. Is there evidence of such reconciliation? Is there a “behold” about you? Do you see in your life a new attitude, new appetites, new affections, and new aptitude? Salvation is not mere rehabilitation or reformation of habits. It is fundamentally about reconciliation with God. More specifically, it is about reconciliation to God by God.

Sovereign Reconciliation and the Wondrous Exchange

We need to see the how of the wondrous exchange. When we do, we will marvel at God’s sovereign grace.

The key to understanding this are the words “in Christ” (5:17), “through Christ” [God in Christ] (5:18), “in Christ” (5:19), and “in him” (that is, in Christ) (5: 21). If there is no “in” or “through” Christ, then there is no reconciliation with God. Only God “in” and “through” Christ can reconcile sinners. The wondrous exchange required a loving partnership between the Father and the Son. That is good news! That is why 5:21 is so precious, so profound, and so powerful. This is where we need to spend most of our time. I want to help us understand several essential truths about the doctrine of reconciliation that we might be moved to practically live in the light of its truth.

James Denney, a Scottish theologian of another generation, wrote much about the cross work of Christ, specifically about atonement, which is another way to speak of reconciliation (“at-one-ment” with God). Denney famously said that he was not interested in theology he could not preach. He meant that biblical truth is not merely for the sake of intellectual debate or theoretical speculation but is instead for living. So it is with the doctrine of reconciliation. We need to know it, to guard it, and to be shaped practically by it. Revelling in reconciliation will lead us to new vistas experiencing and expressing the love of Christ (5:14–15). We will look at several aspects of God’s reconciliation of sinners.

God’s Initiation

It is important to understand that we have alienated ourselves from God and not vice versa. Our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2).

God warned Adam, who warned Eve, that, if they sinned, separation would enter the sphere of their lives. Death is that separation, for death separates the soul from the body, the sinner from his God. When Adam and Eve chose to sin, their autonomous choice put them in a position of hostility and enmity against God. They separated themselves from him, not vice versa. If reconciliation was going to occur, they would need to get right with God. But, of course, this is precisely the problem. We can’t. In fact, we don’t want to.

Psalm 14:1–3 makes this abundantly clear:

Interestingly, at the end of the psalm, the writer acknowledges that, for this sinful predicament to change, God will have to change it. In v. 7 he cries out, “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.”

Paul makes clear the God-centredness of reconciliation. “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.” “In Christ, God was reconciling us to himself.” “God [is] making his appeal through us.” “Be reconciled to God.” That is, God’s invitation is given based on the grounds of God’s initiation.

Sinners don’t seek to be right with God unless and until God does what is required. If you have the idea that sinners are running towards God, you are mistaken. We are born running away from God and our only hope is that he will graciously come after us. The Bible is filled with this picture. God searched the garden for Adam and Eve after they sinned. God bestowed grace on Noah. God called Abraham when he was an idol-worshipping pagan. God found Moses, hiding in the desert. God chose his disciples and Jesus told them that no one can come to God unless God draws him (John 6:44). Jesus confronted and converted Paul. God loved the world while the world loved darkness (John 3:16, 19). Take some time to reflect and thank God that he sought you. But more to the contextual point, thank him for his grace in doing what needed to be done for us to be reconciled to him: propitiation.

God’s Propitiation

Propitiation speaks to the matter of God’s just wrath against sin and sinners. God is just and therefore he must punish sinners for their sin. There has to be amends for wrongs done against God. There has to be atonement.

We have committed “trespasses” (5:19) against God, inviting his just wrath. His wrath is upon us and unless that wrath is removed, sinners will experience God’s eternal wrath. This is where God’s gift of propitiation comes in.

The Greek word is translated “propitiation” in Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10 and “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5. It means to appease someone or to appease wrath. This is precisely what Jesus Christ did on behalf of his people.

Jesus, “for our sake,” absorbed God’s wrath, which we deserved, and thus appeased his just anger against us. God’s wrath fell on Jesus so it would not fall on us. The Father willed it and the Son submitted willingly to it. This is apparent from 5:21: “For our sake [the Father] made him [the Son] to be sin who knew no sin.”

“Sin” invites God’s wrath. How shall we escape? How will God’s wrath be appeased? How will it be propitiated? This passage, and this singular verse, tells us. The sinless one became what we are in order to suffer what we deserve. The sinless Christ was “made to be sin” therefore becoming the place, the location, the person upon which God’s wrath would be appeased.

This matter of propitiation is at the heart of v. 21, highlighted by the phrase, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin.” Let that sink in.

“He” is God and the “him” is God’s Son. God took the initiative to appoint his beloved Son to be the object upon which he would pour out his wrath. Jesus was typically—and, in a real sense, literally—the mercy seat where the blood of atonement was placed. In Christ, this glorious exchange took place.

At least two truths need to be emphasised about this verse, with particular reference to propitiation.

The Father actively made Jesus to be sin. Whatever that phrase means, the Father was the active cause. As Morris says, “Paul is using a strong way of affirming that God has caused Christ to bear what we sinners should have borne.” Too often, this verse is quoted as though Jesus passively became sin, which misses that Father and Son were equally active because equally committed to reconciling the world to himself (i.e. the Triune God). There is nothing impersonal about this. “God—none less and none else—made him sin. Christ went to the cross, not because men turned against him, but because the hand of God was in it” (Morris).

To be “made sin” means that the Father actively treated Jesus as a sinner. The sinless Son of God was treated as a sinful son of man so that we would be made sons of God (see Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 27:9–26). Jesus was appointed by the Father, and the Son willingly submitted, to be treated as a covenant breaker. Amazing love—how can it be?—that you, my God, should die for me?

The Merciful Mercy Seat

The mercy seat was on top of the ark of the covenant. It was “guarded” by two cherubim—one on either side. This brings us back to Eden post fall. God’s law had been violated and the throne of his presence was unapproachable by sinners (like you and me). But God had prescribed access to himself once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). The high priest, representing God’s people, Israel could enter this most holy place in the tabernacle/temple on that day to place the blood of the sin offering on the mercy seat. If God accepted the offering, the priest would live and, as he exited the tabernacle/temple, the nation would know that God’s wrath had been appeased. This is precisely what Jesus did for his people.

When Jesus became sin for us, he became our propitiation. He became the mercy seat. Because he was sinless, his shed blood sufficed to appease God’s wrath against us. Though we are lawbreakers, Jesus entered on our behalf—representing all of his people—and took the wrath we deserve. As our high priest, Jesus survived the wrath of God. That is, though he died for our sins—though he died because of our sins—he also rose from the dead. His resurrection means that those he represented will never face God’s wrath. God’s wrath against us has forever been satisfied. This is why believing sinners are said to be reconciled to God.

Some translate “he made him to be a sin offering.” Perhaps. Regardless of the grammar and syntax, the truth remains: As on the Day of Atonement, Jesus was offered by God as a blood-shedding sacrifice, which was accepted on behalf of God’s people. There is now no wrath left for me.

Representation/Identification

Implicit in this is that Jesus Christ was made, by God, to be our representative. This was not by a mere divine wave of the hand, but rather God supernaturally chose a people and re-created those people “in Christ.” This harkens back to 5;14, which tells us that “one has died for all therefore all have died.” Whatever Jesus Christ did, he did “for our sake.” He experienced and satisfied God’s just wrath; we experienced and satisfied God’s just wrath in Christ. He rose to newness of life, dead to sin’s death penalty; and we therefore rose to newness of life, dead to sin’s death penalty. But this was not only true when it came to sin and wrath, it is also true when it comes to righteousness and eternal life. That is, sinners not only need to be delivered from God’s wrath, they also need admission to God’s favour. They need admission to his presence. They need not only to be delivered from death but also delivered to life. This leads us to the second half of 5:21 and to meditation upon the important doctrine of imputation.

God’s Imputation

The word is an accounting term, which means “to apply to one’s account.” Expenses are debited and income is credited. The KJV word is “reckon” (used eleven times in Romans 4:3–24). Though that word is not used here, the concept is writ large.

Imputation refers to being given credit for something that was not previously yours. In the first part of the verse, Jesus was “debited” with sin, which was ours and not his. In the second part of the verse, we are “credited” with righteousness, which is his and not ours. What theologians refer to as imputation Calvin also referred to as a “wondrous exchange.” God accords to believing sinners that standing (before God) that they could never reach of themselves (Morris).

As Hughes puts it, “It is in him, precisely because he is Righteousness-Itself, that the sinner is made the righteousness of God.” But how? And What does this mean?

The How of Imputation

We are reconciled to God by the Spirit’s work of uniting us with Christ. That is, by the active work of the same God who actively put our sins to Jesus’ account. Though unexplained, the New Testament teaches that believers are baptised by and with the Spirit into Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). We are identified with him, represented by him. He is our righteousness, all on account of God’s grace.

The Implications of Imputation

We are reconciled to God! God sees us a s new creation and treats us accordingly. When you feel shame, remember God’s work of imputation. When you feel hopeless, remember God’s work of imputation. When you feel condemned, remember God’s work of imputation. When you doubt God’s love, remember imputation. When you face deep trials, this truth will equip you to persevere. Christian, be willing to absorb the wrongs done by others—absorbing the cost. A more gracious society is the result of gospel capital.

God’s Penal Substitution

This is of course closely related to God’s propitiation. It is at the heart of 5:21, and the entire passage. If the Lord Jesus had not been willing to take our place, there would have been no reconciliation with God for we would have had no one or no thing as our propitiation. We would be the just recipients of God’s wrath for our trespasses (5:19).

This doctrine is under attack in our day. Such attacks are because of a lack of appreciation concerning the holiness of God and thus a lack of appreciation of both the wrath and the love of God. This is ironic because those deriding the doctrine of penal substitution as a form of “cosmic child abuse” claim to be defending the love of God. They say that for God to punish his Son for others is no love at all. Let me respond in two ways.

First, “the Bible tells me so.” That is, the Bible unequivocally tells us that God loves his people (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10), regardless of philosophical objections to biblical teaching.

Second, the Son, Jesus, was not forced against his will to the cross but rather chose to go because of God’s love. He experienced his Father’s love and thus expressed his love for the Father by becoming obedient to death on a cross.

If there is no penal substitution then we are hopelessly, eternally, and endlessly lost. As John Piper says, “If God did not punish Son in my place, I am not saved from my greatest peril, the wrath of God.” No wonder Paul was passionate to persuade others (5:11). Small wonder he was willing to be criticised as insane as he carried on his ministry of reconciliation (5:11, 18). It was this conviction about God’s penal substitution that energised him to urge his hearers to be reconciled to God, which brings us to the last point.

Urgent Proclamation of the Wondrous Exchange

If we really believe these glorious gospel truths, we will urgently share them with a lost and dying world. “Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘In a favourable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:1–2).

George Guthrie is spot on:

One commentator, while acknowledging the pronouns “you” (5:20; 6:1–2), nevertheless argues that certainly Paul means the world, since his audience is a local church and thus those already reconciled to God. I beg to differ.

Though reconciled to God and by God, some in the church were not behaving as though they were. By rejection of God’s apostle, they were living as those estranged by God. The solution: remember the gospel and believe it afresh. In other words, if they are truly reconciled, they will live like it.

The reconciling gospel enables us to heed God’s apostolic word, to heed his appointed leaders, to reject false gospels, and to separate from the world (6:6–7). This is all done within the context of faithful congregational life. Those reconciled to the Father will be reconciled to his children. As we live in the light of the profundity of 5:21, it will impact how we live. We will be repentant, hopeful, and righteous—in marriage, in family, in the workplace, at school, in the community, on the highway, and at church. Meditating on the wondrous exchange, let us lie every day as though it is the day of salvation.

AMEN