In his sermon 'He Made Him Sin, Who Knew No Sin', Jacob Kramer explores the profound implications of 2 Corinthians 5:21, emphasizing the concept of penal substitutionary atonement. He discusses how God the Father made Jesus, who was without sin, to bear the penalty for sin on behalf of humanity, allowing believers to become the righteousness of God. The sermon delves into the doctrine of imputation, explaining the 'great exchange' where Christ's righteousness is credited to believers, while their sins are placed upon Him. Kramer also highlights the total depravity of humanity in contrast to Christ's perfection, underscoring the necessity of Christ's sacrifice for reconciliation with God. The sermon calls believers to live controlled by Christ's love, to recognize their sinfulness, and to engage in the ministry of reconciliation as ambassadors for Christ. Through this message, Kramer encourages his audience to appreciate the magnitude of Christ's sacrificial love and the transformative power of the gospel.

I never know exactly what I'm going to preach, usually until like Friday night or Saturday morning it seems like. But Brother Greg asked me and Doug a question last week. And for all sakes and purposes, what he asked me, and Doug, was, how are we to think about our sin? And that sent me a reaction at that time that I believe was from a biblical standpoint and so forth of a believer. And then in turn kind of pushed me into where I'm going today.

And hopefully you will understand what I mean as I close if I ever get there. So anyway, I want to have you guys turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5 verses 14 through 21. Can you all hear me well? Yes? Yes?

I could be louder? All right. All right, if you would, I would ask you, give me some more there, to stand for the reading of God's Word, please, if you are able. All right, starting in verse 14, 2 Corinthians 5, for the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this, that one has died for all, therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but live for him, whom for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone be in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. This is from God, who through Christ, reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. As for the reading of God's word, you may be seated. Now, I read all of that, hopefully just to give you some more context.

I won't necessarily go into all of what Paul was dealing with as far as false teachers in the church and trying to prove himself. But my focus mainly today will be in verse 21. And if any of you were savvy to that, I read all of it in ESV except for the last verse. And the NASB is known to put things in the correct order as far as things are concerned. They're very particular in the very literal way that it was said with the original manuscripts.

So I will look at verse 21 as the NASB has given it to us. So again, I will read that for you here today. Actually, before that, I would like to pray with you all. Bow your heads, please. Father, Lord of heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, interceding for us perfectly, for your people.

Father, I ask for my sake that my flesh would go to the side, that it would be choked out this morning as it should be all mornings. Lord, your word would come forth. I trust Lord even in my imperfect delivery of it that through the power of the Spirit you will deliver it to your people for their good, for their edification, for their conviction, for the upholding of your pure gospel. Lord, I come behind this pulpit feeling always unprepared, but trusting in a God who is never surprised, who works in spite of men, in spite of our imperfections. No scheme of man has ever thwarted your plans, O Lord.

And so may we rest today upon the God who is revealed in Scripture, this mighty God that is before us today on these pages. Would you draw near, O Lord, to each of us, continuing to pull back the scales from our eyes that we may see you more clearly? You are the great prize of Christianity. You are our only hope. You are our Lord and our Master.

Teach us here today we ask. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. So I read that for you again today, verse 21.

Possibly the most concise verse, one single verse in the entire scripture of what the gospel is. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. This section I found was such a big bite. I wanted to talk through the whole thing and then I figured out that it was about five sermons worth. I see many doctrines and truths that we must know through all of this scripture, but particularly here within verse 21, I want you to see something that is known as, and it's been said several different ways, one is penal substitutionary atonement or substitutionary atonement.

We see imputation or the great exchange as I requested that we sang that song today His Robes for Mine and we will talk much hopefully about that. And also of impeccability, of the impeccability of God, of Jesus Christ. So, Let's look at this verse now. We'll read here again, I'll start breaking it up. It says, He made him who knew no sin.

He is who? It's God the Father, right? Made him. The son, like it's a very short list of him who knew no sin. He God the Father made him God the Son who knew no sin.

Wow, well that seems fairly simple. I mean, yeah, him who knew no sin, right? Well, it is so much more than that. What does it mean, him who knew no sin? Jesus Christ, being fully God, fully man, would obviously have knowledge of sin.

He has knowledge of all things. So that is not what that could mean. God knows all things, yet he did not experience it. He did not know it. He never sinned at any moment in time.

There was no sin in him. Without sin. He, God the Son, is the spotless lamb that is without blemish, that is shown to us throughout the entire Old Testament. That every time atonement had to be made for sin, that blood had to cover sin, he requested over and over again very, very distinctly a spotless lamb, one year old, without blemish, no lame legs, nothing broken upon him. He had to be spotless and the entire Old Testament is pointing to this perfect spotless lamb who is Jesus Christ, who is perfect in all ways.

Hebrews 415 says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 7 26, for he was indeed, excuse me, I'm sorry, that's not what that says, for it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separate from sinners, and exalted above heaven. First Peter 2, 22, He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth." And then, 1 John 3, 5, You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there was or is no sin." Now, we can say that and that sounds good, but I think we have to look at the complete opposite, infinite other end of the spectrum as far as what sinless is and then look at us. We are born in sin, slaves of sin, bound to sin, love our sin. To help us see how perfect He is, I think we must understand how bad we are or we were, and how totally depraved that man is.

So with that, I will take you to Romans 3, and we will read verses 10 through 18. Now this is, to help us, this is Paul's letter to the Romans and this is the finishing statement of everything he ever said up until he starts actually sharing the gospel this is the the last trumpet sound that basically shows everyone who ever lived, who ever was, is condemned. And more than that, it shows that we're not after God. We spoke about this a little bit in Sunday school this morning. Verse 10, as it is written, none is righteous, no not one.

No one understands, no one seeks for God, all have turned aside. Together they have become worthless. No one does good, no not one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of asp is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. In their paths are ruin and misery. The way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes. Their eyes. I believe in the doctrine of total depravity that man is unable, He cannot, no one can come to God unless the Father draws him. As was read by Brother Greg this morning, and he emphasized it. If I can find it, it's in multiple other areas too.

It's in Ephesians 2 and Greg you read in Colossians 2, verses 11, wherever you're at. Dead and sins and trespasses. Dead men don't make decisions. Dead men don't seek after God. Dead men are, well, they're dead.

Spiritually dead. Obviously they're alive, but spiritually dead. Not seeking after God, not of the things of God. I say this to give you a scale that I can't actually show you of God's pure perfection. Holy, righteous, undefiled in us who in our in our in our nature in in our human nature are depraved and not after God and seek to shed blood.

I think Brother Paul Washer says this very well to demonstrate what I'm trying to get across today. What do you suppose that the greatest sin is? You suppose the greatest sin is to break the greatest commandment? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Brother Walsh who says no human being in history has ever done that for one millisecond.

Of course we are excluding Christ from this, okay? Hear me correctly, not for One millisecond has someone ever loved the Lord their God with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their mind. We can just stop there. And you would be without hope. Because that's the state of man.

That is the state of man. But there was one. In this perfect Jesus Christ, there was never a time that Jesus did not do this. There was never one millisecond where Jesus Christ didn't perfectly love the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his mind, and with all his strength. Never, perfectly obeyed in thought, deed, word, everything.

I hope to have done some kind of justice to the perfection of Christ to you this morning. So, I will move on. He made him who knew no sin to be sin. So we've already established God, the Father, made the Son, who is perfect to what? It says to be sin.

Well, In the original language, to be is not there. So it could be said this way, excuse me. That he made him who knew no sin, sin. He made him sin. Well, does this mean, and let's be very extremely careful here, does this mean that Jesus was made a sinner on the cross?

Right, That actually just scares me to say just a touch. I will use the same word we used this morning. Meganoito. 1, 000 times no. Absolutely not.

As negatively as I can possibly say that. No. No, no. No, no, no. Jesus could not and did not become a sinner.

Now there is many in the current health, wealth, and prosperity gospel who would preach this. That is another gospel. That Jesus became a sinner, and this is absolute heresy. And I will tell you this morning, I will warn you as an elder of this church, loving my people who are here, if you encounter such false teachers to run from them, I will name a few. One is Mr.

Kenneth Copeland. Another one is Miss Joyce Meyer. And there are many, many more. I tell you to run from these false teachers. Run from them.

Holy God cannot become a sinner. He became, and we'll get into this. So now we're gonna get into imputation. We're gonna get into His Robes for Mine. I love that song.

I requested it to Junior, and Junior's like, well, I'll ask Barb, and I'm like, well, what if I just want it, even if Barb doesn't want it? And anyway, so let's get into imputation here because we have to understand this. And I will do my best to try to explain it. Christ didn't become a sinner, but he became sin. He bears the sin.

He bears the penalty for sin. He was not made impure in any way. He bears the penalty for sin of all who would ever believe. Now, John 10, 15 says, just as the father knows me, and I know the father, I lay down my life for the sheep. He lays down his life for his sheep only.

1st Peter 2 24, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed." And again, within that song, if you look there, it's gonna talk about Isaiah 53, and I actually don't have enough time to get into that today. I would recommend you look into that as well. 1 Peter 3, 18, for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit." So this may still sound confusing. Christ became sin, right?

So I'm going to use somebody else's illustration that many other theologians enjoy, and it's brother, Dr. John MacArthur. And he says this, Christ was treated as if he were guilty of all the sins ever committed by all who would ever believe, though he committed none. The wrath of God was exhausted on him, and the just requirement of God's law met for those for whom he died." Now imputation simply is this, it's to place into someone else's account. So we see this, we see this great exchange that has been called many times.

Now I've taught on this before, I'll stop here for a moment. There are three imputations in scripture. There is the imputation of fallen Adam to all of the human race, which we've actually talked about, but we didn't talk about the imputation part. But now we are talking about the imputation of all whom would ever believe upon Christ, the debt of that sin onto Him. And we'll get to the next part here in a minute.

I hope I'm making myself clear here. I want you to hear this. I'm going to put it in part for a second. Why did Christ have to die? In 1st Corinthians at the end of it right before it says, why do you boast you're boasting Christ and him alone?

It says, I'll tell you what it says by turning there. And I might have messed myself up. I might be quoting the wrong scripture. Nick's that for a second. Sorry.

Paul asks the question in Romans 3. He says, basically, how can he be both just and the justifier? And the answer is this. Only Christ could be and is able to pay the debt needed that men can be reconciled to God. That's why Christ had to die.

He was upholding his holiness and his righteousness. And as I say that I want you to hear this is how it had to be in order for Christ for God to continue to be who he says he is, to uphold his perfect righteousness, his perfect holiness, it was God making the payment to God. And only a man of infinite being with him could sustain what it would take. There are two ways that sin is paid for in this world. It was either placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross or it will be placed upon the sinner for eternity in hell and then eternity because The sinner can actually never pay for the sin.

It does not stop So if God went to this extent, I tell you today, to uphold his righteousness and holiness, and it had to be him, and it had to be God paying the price to God, do you think that God the Father would pour out wrath upon the Son for those who are in hell? I tell you by no means would he do such a thing. God is just, God is holy, God is right in all of his ways, and he would not pour out his wrath upon Christ and pour out his wrath upon those in hell. Alright, back in drive. So the sin dead of all whom would ever be was placed upon Christ.

And here we have the second part of that imputation and we'll continue. The perfect righteousness of Christ placed upon the center. On our behalf, if Christ did not bear our sins on our behalf, there would be no hope. I know I've said that before, but I will say that again. So to get into the second part, the second half of this verse, it says, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

So here's the rest of that great exchange, that imputation, that Christ's righteousness transferred into our account. The sins of all who ever would believe was placed around Christ and then that perfect righteousness was placed into the believers account. God the Father treats us, now listen to this very carefully, God the Father treats us as if we have been perfect. If you are in Christ today, you are seen by God the Father as if you walked as Christ did, and you paid the penalty, and your sins are not counted against you and your standing before him is imperfection. The word might here in the second part of that verse, it says that so that we might become the righteousness of God.

That word is not of possibility or of doubt, but it is of purpose. The purpose of this is that we would become the righteousness of God in him. Now this righteousness that is imputed into our account, these roads that that now we are clothed with. There, it is twofold. There is a twofold obedience that Christ accomplished that was his passion as he came here to do his purpose.

And there is a passive obedience, which is his willing reception of the punishment of sin for the sinner that erases the sinner's debt. Then the act of obedience, which is his perfect life, His perfect keeping of the law throughout his life. As we talked before, never for one millisecond did he not perfectly walk with his Father. Perfectly keeping the law, which you and I have never done. We need Christ's active obedience to gain access to heaven.

The punishment for sin, if you will, has brought us to a zero. Zeroes don't get into heaven. You need the active obedience of Christ in order to be seen as one of his, to be seen as one of the sons of God. So in Him, it is all in him. All of this is in him.

Verse 18 says, all this is from God at the very beginning. What did you bring to this equation? What did you bring to this? What did you bring to this? The sin.

You brought sin. Amen. No. You get nothing. It's all glory to Him.

It's all glory to God. It's in Him that men are reconciled. It is only in Him. Acts 4 12 says, there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. It is only in Christ.

He is the name by which you must be saved. Brothers and sisters in here today, Do you need some encouragement? You were just given it. Do you not hear what he did? He did that for me.

His enemy. I was not seeking after Him. I did not make a decision. I didn't walk an aisle. I'm actually one of those crazy guys that got converted later in life.

I'm like an anomaly. I'm an anomaly, if you will. God's grace came to me late. Young children, young men seek Him early, repent and trust in this God who is the who is the only way. If you are in Christ here today, he will and has accomplished his purposes.

Be clothed in that righteousness and be so thankful. He said it is finished. The work of salvation is solely a work of God. Brother Greg asked me, how do I think, what do you, how are we supposed to think about our sin? You got to do this first.

Every time. I can never walk perfectly. It was all of Him. I owe Him everything. How could I sin against Him?

But yet I still see that this unredeemed flesh is clinging to me and I am yet to be glorified in heaven someday where salvation will be complete. But as if it has already happened, He will accomplish His purposes. Take your sin to the cross where it was repaid for, repent and live, repent that times of refreshing may come. Live a life controlled by the love of God. You should weep over your sins.

They are heinous. You should agree with God about your sins. They are awful. God didn't pardon his own son over it when he became sin, the debt for it. If he was ever going to overlook sin, you would think it would be there, his only begotten son.

Hey, you know, I think God will overlook this. He didn't overlook it when his own son became it. But that's where we find our strength. That's where everything happens. You're a great sinner, but He's a greater Savior.

He is a greater Savior. He is infinitely greater than all the sin you've ever committed. And He is the only way. He is the risen Savior, as we talked about last week. Live with a risen Savior who is alive today, who dwells in you.

If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. And walk forth from this love. And I'm going to backtrack into some of these verses quickly for us before I run us way over the edges. Verse 14, the love of Christ controls us. John 15 13 says, greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Who did Christ lay his life down for? It's for his enemies. That's a greater love. That love that is supposed to control you, he just told you the greater love than no one else except God. That love.

Christ would die for his enemies and transform someone from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of life should compel you. Christ laid down his life for his enemies, Romans 5, 8. This love, it says control, there's also the word compel, you already heard me say that. There is no greater love. So we have some quantifiers in here.

Verse 14 again, it says, if you have died with him, it actually doesn't say if, but I'm going to give it the if and this is why. The one has died for all, therefore all have died. What if you haven't died? Then he didn't die for you. So I'm gonna give it the if.

I'll give it the if in 17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. If you are in Christ, you are new.

You have new desires and new ways. And thank God for that. Thank God that you're worried about what we're supposed to think about our sin. Thank God that Your sin grieves you instead of you just walking through life, sinning abundantly and not caring. That is a work of God.

That, all this is from God. In verse 18. Verses 18 through 20, I'll read quickly. All this is from God, whom through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore we appeal, Excuse me, therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. If you're reconciled to God, if you have died with him, If you've been raised with Him, if you are a new creation and you are in Him, praise God. Praise God today. Don't go over in the corner, woe is me, praise God.

He is greater, He is stronger, He is worthy of all that we have. Are you blessed? I messed up over in Sunday school this morning. Are you blessed? Blessed is the man who sins are not counted against him.

Psalm 32, Romans 4, 8. That is a man who is blessed. That is a woman who is blessed. That is a child who is blessed. That their sins are not counted against them.

Because why? Christ took them. He took them all. Not just some of them. He didn't have knowledge of only a few, he took all of them.

What better news could there be? How much more encouraged could you be? Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity." So, long-winded bald-headed guy up here talking. I got like one page left. So as a believer, why are you here on earth?

Good question. Why are you here? Not necessarily here today, hopefully here today, I am encouraging you as a believer to make much of Christ. But why are you here on this earth? Your sins are paid for, it was finished.

You have the perfect righteousness of Christ, You have access to heaven. You need nothing else to get in there. So why are you here? Well, that's why we're at 18 through 20. You are here to share the message of reconciliation.

That is your purpose. That is why you are here. Do you know what you will not be able to do in heaven? Think about it. What will you not be able to do in heaven?

You will not be able in heaven to tell somebody to be reconciled to God. Because if they're there, they are. That's why you're here. I'm pushing this upon you today. Because it's what the text says.

You have the message of reconciliation. You have the ministry of reconciliation. You are, if you are a believer, you are ambassadors for Christ and you are to implore people on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. How? Read in verse 21.

That's very simple to understand. Yeah, sure, I went off in all kinds of ways, but That is the central message of the gospel. You're a great sinner, he's a sinless, great savior, and he can reconcile you to a holy and righteous God. Period. You are without hope, without Christ.

I mean, is that the shortest gospel presentation you ever heard? Sure, we can talk about making somebody, showing their sin and so forth, but this is what you're supposed to do. You've been given the message, you've been given the ministry, you're ambassadors to Christ. Call people to repentance, call them to be reconciled to God. Last page, still on it.

I mean this, I... What? Are you guys hearing this? I mean, wow! Does it not fill you with wonder that the creator of the entire universe for a time came down lower than angels, lived a perfect life, and did it so I could be the righteousness of Christ so I could tell other people about Him?

That's amazing. I'll close with a couple things here. If you're an unbeliever here today, I implore you, I beg you, see this great God. I beg you, be reconciled to Him, come to Him in repentance and faith. Turn from your sin and trust in Christ and Christ alone.

See what God has done. Do you see it Brody? Isn't it magnificent? Can you imagine a crazier story? God of the universe would come down for worms like us.

And I'm giving us credit when I call us worms. Be reconciled to God. And if you are, give him praise today and go out and tell other people about him. Tell them, hey, Would you like to be reconciled to the creator of the universe? It might be a weird question, but you might get some attention.

Step out in faith. I know that This is convicting to me as much as anyone else. I don't evangelize as much as I should There's crazy polls that say 2% of Christians Share their faith If you don't have a desire for other people to know the love of God, I would ask you, do you know the love of God? Because if you do, it's going to come out. You can be distracted and so forth.

And I'm not saying you've got to go out and hit the street every single day, but as luck would have it, if you want to go today, there's a couple of gentlemen going, you can just walk along if you'd like and you can try to see how we'll make mistakes and we will tell them to be reconciled to God. We're going today just after lunch, we catch a bite to eat, you're welcome to ride along with us. You don't have to say anything but I would I would encourage you to go and to see what people say when you say, do you think you're a good person or whatever we do Bask in this, bask in this, the glory of God and how this is the greatest news that we could ever hear. The gospel shouldn't get old to you because as you grow you should become more aware of your sin and you must often return to who's paid for it. If the gospel gets old to you, if you're getting sick of hearing about it, then you need to hear about it.

Okay? Pray with me. Lord, I trust that you, oh Lord, will take your word here today, power the Holy Spirit and apply it, drive it down into each and everyone here in whichever way that you see necessary. The Lord you will use your word that does not return void. That my words are ramblings, but your word is everything.

Your word is the power to save. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. All that we would hide your word in our heart that we might not sin against you. Yet Lord we will still be with sin. He who says he has no sin is a liar and the truth is not in him.

But if we confess our sin, you are faithful and just to forgive us. Lord, may that be our attitude. May our sin be grievous to us and may we be thankful, Lord, that it hurts. Because we know it hurts you. It seems impossible to us How could we possibly hurt the one who loved us?

It's because you're the only one who could ever keep it, oh Father. We thank you that in you and you alone, we can be saved, that we can be reconciled to God. But through the sin of Adam, to all mankind we are estranged from God. Through the power of gospel in Christ, we can return to you. Father bless this congregation.

May this congregation draw near to this God who is the one and only true God and beyond our understanding and awesome in all his ways. Thank you Lord today. Jesus name. Amen.