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. — 1 Peter 2:24

Divine justice’s most brutal example is seen in the crucifixion of God’s only son. If anyone had room to complain it was Jesus, who was not guilty of even one sin. The most innocent person who ever lived was condemned to die a most prolonged and painful death. The value of His sacrifice is not in the extent of Jesus’ anguish on the cross but in the person who suffered. Jesus bore our sin judicially. God never made Him sinful in His character. Despite His innocence, He alone took upon Himself all the sins of the world. He did this for us. He took on His shoulders all the justice that was to fall on us and paid for it with His precious life. Jesus actually carried our sins in His own body on the tree. The sins that He carried are the sins of the entire world.

As the scapegoat carried away the sins of the Israelite, so Jesus carries away our sin on the cross. Jesus’ death freed us from both the penalty and the power of sin. He paid the penalty for our sin so that we will not have to go to hell. His death made it possible for us to “live for righteousness.”

Rome crucified tens of thousands of people in her history but only one of them was unique. Jesus was the God-man. He was undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever. This is His uniqueness. He is different from God in that He is man and He is different from man in that He is God.

Thank You, Lord God, for this extraordinary truth. Amen.