◄ The Iniquity Of Us All ►

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:6

Straying Sheep

How like silly, straying sheep we are wandering from the safety of the shepherd. Though this is an accusation from Isaiah, it needs to be the confession of us all. Each of us pursuing dangerous paths and pleasures away from God’s protection – each going our own way, pursuing our own path – as sheep without a shepherd.

Selfish Sinners

These accusations to Israel can be equally applied to the church of today, for all we like sheep have gone astray, in one way or another. And how often scripture compares God’s people with stupid, straying sheep.. heading for destruction; unaware of danger; estranged from the Lord.. solitary, unprotected and exposed to the dangers of this world – selfish sinners, separated from God, in desperate need of a Saviour. What a graphic description of fallen man; what a sad statement of humanity.

Death’s Dept

But sin has consequences and sinners have a debt to pay – and death is its due. Nothing but the shed blood of an Innocent can pay the required price for sin, and no-one is good enough, save the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Nothing but divine grace could intercept this death blow to fallen humanity.

Perfect Man

It was against our Creator that we sinned and it was from God that we wandered, and He it was that outlined the only payment for sin that would utterly satisfy – a sinless days-man; a pure redeemer; a perfect man who was willing to die. But there was no one good enough to pay the price of sin, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – for there is none good, not even one- for God alone is good.

Sacrificial Lamb

And so God sent His Son into the world to reconcile man back to Himself. God Himself took on human flesh to become humanities perfect kinsman-redeemer: and The LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all. God placed the accumulated sin of the whole world on His beloved Son – Jesus became that sacrificial lamb.

Sin and Sins

It was the sin of the world that was laid on Christ. He paid the price for our individual SINS – but also the price for SIN. He died so our sins would be forgiven, but also to break the power of SIN. Christ was punished as guilty, so we could be rewarded as innocent. His death not only made us righteous but the righteousness of God.. for God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Price for Sin

We are not sinners because we sin but we sin because we are sinners. We all have gone astray and we all need a Saviour. And God, in His grace, came to pay the price for sin in the person of Christ – the perfect Son of God became the perfect Son of Man.

Made Sin

And He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities, and the fullness of God’s wrath was poured out upon Him for our sake. He did not become a sinner, but rather He became SIN for us. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD laid on him the iniquity of us all.