So okay. Yesterday I was fully aware of the lesser time I had to talk about the Holy Communion and what it meant to me. I went as far as to add all the details I wanted to make it clear that when we eat the bread, we remember Christ’s body becoming sin for us, and therefore took all the death we deserved. Unfortunately, considering that I had a lot more to say about the wine, I just had to hightail to the consequent point, without the buildup I usually would throw in – That is, when we drink the wine, or the juice, we remember we became His righteousness, and therefore took on the everlasting Life which He had.
I’d like to think the congregation understood what I had to share. If ever, at least I have a grasp of what I can say each and every time I go to the pulpit and lead my congregation into this ceremony of Holy Communion. I’m going to draw a lot for 2 Corinthians 5:21; let me see if I could quote that out of memory – ‘For our sake He who knew no sin became sin that we would become His righteousness.’
Copy pasting: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”2 Corinthians 5:21
Close enough. Anyway, just to introduce some variation in the presentation let me see where the ESV leads me to.
“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”Romans 8:3-4 – We are aware of how Christ Himself was willing to go to the cross, enduring the cross for the joy of the prize – but by reading this I am reminded of God’s part in the matter; He sent His Son, and He was fully aware of the condemnation Christ was to endure, becoming sin in the flesh. This matters to me because it wasn’t like it was just Christ’s initiative – no, we see in this small detail that the entire Godhead was willing to do all that was necessary for the Ministry of Reconciliation to be fulfilled.
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.””Galatians 3:13 – Here’s a good one, here’s another perspective to 2 Corinthians 5:21; Christ not only became sin, but He became a curse for us. Consequently, I believe we could tie the former verse into this one as well and say Christ redeemed us from sin by becoming sin for us. When we eat the bread not only do we remember that Christ became sin, but He also became accursed – and, apparently, not only accursed, but He became ‘a curse for us’.
“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. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”1 Peter 2:24-25 – Before anything else we see that apparently Peter also quoted Isaiah just as we continue to quote him, each and every time – ‘By His wounds you have been healed’. But did you catch that? Before he quoted that line he was talking about Christ, who bore our sins in His body; This tells me that before we even think about any sort of healing according to our limited way of thinking, we’ve been healed of the greatest affliction, delivered from the greatest circumstance – sin. By the wounds on Christ’s body, which bore our sins, which became sin, and which became accursed, we have been healed of continually doing sin, healed of our identity as sinners, and set free of the curse associated to sin. This, THIS first and foremost, before we even dare to make claims of guaranteed physical, mental, emotional, relational, financial (?) healing.
One last verse I want to pull up:
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Now, this verse just gives us a bigger picture on what we ought to remember when we drink. He became sin for us to become His righteousness. We became His righteousness. And we see here, Christ ‘became to us’ righteousness – We only dare to call ourselves righteous because Christ became OUR righteousness! And as we’re letting that sink in, let’s not ignore that we can call ourselves wise, because Christ became our wisdom – and not mere wisdom, but wisdom from God! We call ourselves sanctified and redeemed, because Christ IS our Sanctification, and Redemption!
Christ took on our old identity as sinners, that we would enjoy union with Him, so close to us that we are literally righteous, sanctified, and redeemed, always in touch and always connected, as close as we could ever be to the wisdom of God, just as we are as close as we could ever be to Christ.
Folks, when we celebrate Holy Communion, we eat the body and remember, again: Christ’s body, which bore our sins, which became sin, and which became accursed, as well as Christ’s blood, through which we have received wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Halleluyah.
I was supposed to write so much more after this but it turns out this is all I have for today. Rest assured I will probably come out with my more ‘heavyweight’ words tomorrow.
Until the next post, thanks and God bless you more and more.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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