With but a single exception, every person born carries a terminal disease inherited from their parents. It is integrated into human nature itself and is in every person’s DNA; with one important exception. The name of this disorder is Sin and all who have it shall die. (Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-13, 20-24)
Like other genetic disorders, this disease does not come by some act on the part of the individual, but rather is part of every human’s genome at conception. In other words, it’s not the act of committing a sin whereby one contracts this disease; sinning is merely a symptom of the disease. That’s why everyone sins; we all share the same disease. Yet with one very important exception. (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, 1 John 1:8-10)
Aside from that one exception, death has a rightful claim on every person who ever lived. There’s no escaping it on our own, and the debt of sin must be paid without exception for those having the disease; the payment due is death. But there is a cure and, thanks to God, the cure has been made available to any and all that will accept it. (Romans 6:23, James 1:14-15)
“What is this cure?” you may ask. Given that if all by heredity are doomed to death by this disease, and there is no possible way to eradicate it from our systems, how or where do we procure the remedy? The key lies in the only One with pure, untainted genetic material. Only He has a different heredity from the rest of humanity, and that One is Jesus the Son of God. As God is His Father, who has no Sin in Him, so too His Son does not carry the Sin disease within Himself. (Luke 1:26-35, John 5:16-18, Colossians 2:9)
What’s more, Jesus Christ laid down His eternal glory and entered the human condition incarnated as a human baby. He Who is fully God also became fully human as well (Philippians 2:5-11). He lived as a human, experiencing literally everything any other person can face, while never choosing to sin (Hebrews 2:14-18, Hebrews 4:14-15, 1 Peter 2:21-22). Not having Sin in his DNA nor sinning in His human life, death has no claim upon Him. He has no sin-debt to pay and therefore need not die.
So how do these facts about Jesus help us? You see, He was willing to provide our cure by making an exchange for us, and He was the only person in history who could do so. He took on all our infirmities and sins, and even became Sin itself (2 Corinthians 5:21), fully suffering the penalty of Sin – our penalty; the penalty due every person who ever lived (Hebrews 2:9).
He was brutally assaulted beyond recognition as being human (Isaiah 52:14, John 19:1-3), and then ultimately subjected to the most slow and grueling means of being put to death, crucifixion on a cross of wood (Matthew 27:27-31), even enduring complete separation from God, His Father (Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Matthew 27:45-46); and thereby Jesus paid the full price of Sin for all (Romans 3:21-26, 1 John 2:1-2, 1 John 4:9-10, 1 Peter 2:24).
In so doing, He made available the exchange. He paid for the Sin, making available the righteousness of God Himself to any who desires it. Therein is our cure. And this is the only cure available; there are no alternatives (John 14:6, Acts 4:10-12). However, the cure has no effect upon those who won’t take it (John 3:36).
Although Jesus secured for us what is literally impossible for us to obtain for ourselves; the cure for Sin, and although He fully paid for everyone what we could each only pay by our individual death, the exchange is not automatically applied. It cannot be. Each person must claim the cure for themselves; no exceptions (John 3:16, 1 John 1:9).
“But who would refuse so great an exchange and instead wish to die for their own sin?!” you may exclaim. Unfortunately, so very many do exactly that. They believe a lie that there is some other solution, one which they can achieve on their own merit. Others are in denial that the disease exists at all, ignoring the fact that everyone throughout history has fallen into its clutches as evidenced by their deaths.
Maybe you know someone like this. Maybe you’re like this, though I hope not (Ephesians 2:1-9, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Colossians 2:8).
“So how is the cure administered? What is required to obtain it?” you may wonder.
Simply this: that you confess with your mouth that Jesus the Son of God has paid your
debt to Sin, and that He is your Lord and Savior, believing in your heart that although He died for your sins, God raised Him from the dead (as death can have no claim upon Him). By believing this truth the cure is imparted to you and you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10).
“But everyone dies!” you may protest. Yes, everybody dies, even those saved by Christ Jesus, because Sin is still in the DNA after all (Romans 7:14-25, Romans 8:12-13). However, as Jesus was raised from the dead, so you too will be raised because Sin no longer has any claim upon you either (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 8:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:4-6, Colossians 2:10-15).
But that’s not all.
True death is a complete separation from Life; that’s both physically and spiritually (Genesis 1:17). Life is in Jesus, and receiving Him as your “cure” means receiving Him as Life itself (John 20:30-31). As He is now in Heaven with His Father, so too will you be when raised (along with every saved person who has died in their body). By the way, we are also now adopted into the divine family of Christ Jesus; His Father is now also our Father – and that’s for eternity (Romans 8:15-16, Ephesians 1:4-8).
The alternative is eternal separation from His Father, meaning an eternal existence apart from Him in unquenchable and unrelenting torment. That’s true death (Revelation 20:11-15).
So here are your two options, two eternal destinations; Life or Death. Which will you choose? It’s really not at all a hard decision to make, but you must make it yourself if you wish to have the cure.
Oswald Chambers put it this way:
“No man can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations; His teachings are truths that can only be interpreted by the disposition He puts in. The great marvel of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He alters heredity. He does not alter human nature; He alters its mainspring.”
That’s the divine exchange Jesus has made possible and offers to whosoever wills to receive it. If you’re ready to accept this divine exchange and thereby become cured of this oldest terminal disease, speak to God right where you are now, in your own words; you may tell Him something like:
Dear God, thank You for Your Son Jesus the Christ. I believe He came to earth to pay for my sin by His death so that I may have true life. I believe He is now raised up with You in heaven and has made it possible for me to be righteous in Your sight. Now dear God, I confess the Lord Jesus as both my Lord and Savior, and I receive Him fully into my life and being forevermore. Thank You, dear God. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.
~John Lorenti~
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