June 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6)

Devotional

How else can we explain the sufferings of Christ, which were so intense and mysterious, if not on the ground of their vicarious, substitutionary character?

Those sufferings were intense in the extreme. There was a severity that would be perfectly unexplainable if it were not required by God's justice. Heaven, earth, and hell all were in league against him. Survey his eventful history. Mark every step that he took from Bethlehem to Calvary. And what do we learn of his sufferings but that they were of the most extraordinary and intense character? His enemies, like dogs of war, were let loose upon him. His professed followers themselves stood aghast at the scenes through which their Lord was passing—one betrayed him, another denied him, and, in the hour of his extremity, all forsook him.

Is it any wonder that, in the anguish of his soul, his suffering humanity should exclaim, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matt. 26:39). In that awful moment, all the waves and billows of God's wrath due to the sins of his people were passing over him. The Father, the last resource of sympathy, veiled his face and withdrew his perceivable presence from him. And on the cross, draining the cup of sorrow, he fulfilled the prophecy which spoke of him: "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me" (Isa. 63:3).

His sufferings were also mysterious. Why would a holy, harmless being whose whole life had been one of unparalleled beneficence be doomed to persecution so severe, to sufferings so acute, and to a death so painful and shameful?

But the doctrine of a vicarious sacrifice explains it all. Substitutionary atonement presents the only key to the mystery. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21 NIV). "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).

This explains it all. He was made "sin for us." He was made "a curse for us." He bore our sin, and consequently he bore the penalty of our sin. O Christian reader, had we been left to bear our own sins, then we alone must inevitably have borne the punishment of our sins! But Jesus took upon himself our sins! For this, he became a party in the covenant of redemption. For this, he assumed our nature. For this, he agonized in Gethsemane. For this, the law of God exacted its utmost claim. And for this, the justice of God inflicted the utmost penalty.

Oh, what a wonderful truth this is! The Son of God offered himself up as a sacrifice for sin! He who knew no sin—he who was holy, harmless, and undefiled—he who had not one thought of evil in his heart—yet was made sin, or a sin-offering!

Oh the greatness of the thought! If God himself did not declare it, we could never believe it, not even if an angel announced it. God himself must proclaim it. And because he has so proclaimed it, we can believe it. And God alone can write it upon the heart! Dear reader, has he written it upon yours?

Thy works, not mine, O Christ,
speak gladness to this heart;
they tell me all is done;
they bid my fear depart.

Refrain:
To whom, save thee,
who canst alone
for sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?

Thy pains, not mine, O Christ,
upon the shameful tree,
have paid the law's full price
and purchased peace for me.
(Refrain)

Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,
has borne the awful load
of sins that none in heav'n
or earth could bear but God.
(Refrain)

Thy righteousness, O Christ,
alone can cover me:
no righteousness avails
save that which is of thee.
(Refrain)

(Horatius Bonar, 1857)

Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.

Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.