An Open Ear

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50:5-6

Two facets of Christ’s accomplished work on our behalf stand out in this verse. First, His active obedience. Then, we also see His willing submission to death. While the text itself doesn’t use the idea of death and if this was all we had we wouldn’t come to that conclusion when you read verse six you see that this prophecy was fulfilled in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus.

Verse five, though, is focused on Christ’s active obedience. Jesus came to die for our sins but that had to be preceded by His perfect obedience to the law of God in every respect. He had to be a Lamb without blemish to be the sacrifice for sins that we needed.

And just as His death is applied to our sins for our forgiveness – that is, His death wipes the slate clean – His perfect life is applied to our account as well. Theologians call this imputed righteousness. Our book was sins was blotted out by His death, and written on those now empty lines is the perfect righteousness of Christ, who did not rebel or turn backward when confronted with the Law of God.

One way to say it would be, Christ was treated on the cross the way that we deserve to be treated, and we who believe are now treated the way Christ deserves to be treated because of His perfectly righteous and holy life.