But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
— Isaiah 53:5 —
Giampaolo Natale: Italian Theological Academy | Italy
This verse begins and ends with the language of substitution. Christ was wounded, bruised, and punished for our sin so that we might live through Him. The theme of substitution is found throughout the Old Testament. In Exodus 12, for example, it is through substitution that the people of God escape the judgment that was coming to Egypt. They were to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their houses. Lambs were slain in the place of the Israelites’ firstborn sons, and God, therefore, passed over them (Exod. 12:13). But the Passover that the Israelites celebrated in Egypt was only a shadow of the reality yet to come. But the Passover that the Israelites celebrated in Egypt was only a shadow of the reality yet to come. Christ, Himself is the reality, as John the Baptist knew. When he saw Jesus he cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). In 1 Corinthians 5:7, we learn that “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” And the apostle Peter speaks of the redemption that we have been given through “precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:19). Take time to delight in the doctrine of substitution. You possess the greatest and most important message in the world. Christ died as a substitute for sinners! Because of this, forgiveness and eternal life is opened wide to all who would believe. When was the last time you shared with someone about the remarkable substitute that God gave to this world? This is a truth that truly changes lives.
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