RJBoatman Revival Ministries Bible Study Series: The Great Exchange – Understanding 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Great Exchange – Understanding 2 Corinthians 5:21

Part 1: The Context of the Verse

Key Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:21

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Focus: Understanding the larger context of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.

Discussion Points:

      •   Overview of 2 Corinthians: Paul’s purpose in writing this letter (defending his apostleship, reconciling with the church, and explaining the message of reconciliation).

      •   Understanding the theme of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

      •   The need for humanity to be reconciled to God due to sin.

      •   What it means that God initiated this reconciliation through Christ.

      •   The relational aspect of reconciliation: God’s desire for a restored relationship with humanity (Ephesians 2:13-16). “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

   •   Reflection Question: Why do you think Paul emphasizes reconciliation as central to the Christian life?

Part 2: “He Became Sin for Us”

Key Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:21a

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin…”

Focus: Exploring the meaning of Christ becoming sin.

Discussion Points:

      •   What does it mean that Christ “became sin”? (He did not sin, but took on the penalty and burden of sin.)

      •   The concept of substitutionary atonement.

      •   Isaiah 53:4-6 as a prophecy of Christ’s suffering and substitution.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

      •   The seriousness of sin and the justice of God.

   •   Reflection Question: How does understanding Christ’s role as a substitute change your perspective on sin?

Part 3: “For Us” – The Love and Sacrifice of Christ

Key Scripture: John 15:13; Romans 5:8

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Focus: The personal nature of Christ’s sacrifice.

Discussion Points:

      •   Exploring Christ’s love demonstrated through His willingness to become sin.

      •   The cost of redemption: Christ’s suffering on the cross for our sake.

      •   Personalizing the sacrifice: “For us” – what does this mean for you individually?

      •   The depth of God’s love in sending His Son to die for sinners.

   •   Reflection Question: How does Christ’s sacrificial love inspire you to live your life differently?

Part 4: The Righteousness of God

Key Scripture: Romans 3:22-26; Philippians 3:9

Romans 3:22-26 – “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Philippians 3:9 – “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

Focus: What is the “righteousness of God”?

Discussion Points:

      •   Exploring righteousness: God’s standard of holiness and justice.

      •   The imputation of righteousness: How Christ’s righteousness is credited to believers.

      •   The role of faith in receiving God’s righteousness.

      •   Righteousness as a gift, not earned through human effort.

   •   Reflection Question: How does receiving God’s righteousness by faith free you from striving for self-righteousness?

Part 5: “In Him” – Our Union with Christ

Key Scripture: Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Colossians 3:3 – “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Focus: What it means to be “in Him” (Christ).

Discussion Points:

      •   The doctrine of union with Christ: believers are “in Christ” and Christ is in them.

      •   The significance of being united with Christ in His death and resurrection.

      •   The transformative power of this union: new life, new identity, new nature.

      •   The ongoing work of sanctification in believers because they are “in Him.”

   •   Reflection Question: How does understanding your identity in Christ impact your daily walk with Him?

Part 6: The Great Exchange – Our Sin for His Righteousness

Key Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:9; Romans 5:17

2 Corinthians 8:9 – “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Romans 5:17 – “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”

Focus: The heart of the gospel: Christ’s righteousness exchanged for our sin.

Discussion Points:

      •   The concept of the “great exchange” – Christ took our sin and gave us His righteousness.

      •   The legal and relational implications of this exchange (justification and adoption).

      •   How this exchange redefines our standing before God.

      •   The challenge of living in the reality of this exchange. Reflecting on Romans 8:1 (“no condemnation”) to internalize our new standing before God. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

   •   Reflection Question: In what ways does the great exchange shape your understanding of grace?

Part 7: Living as the Righteousness of God

Key Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Peter 2:24

Ephesians 4:22-24 – “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

1 Peter 2:24 – “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.”

Focus: How do we live out the righteousness of God?

Discussion Points:

      •   The call to live a holy and righteous life in response to what Christ has done.

      •   Putting off the old self and putting on the new self, created in righteousness.

      •   The role of the Holy Spirit in enabling us to live righteously.

      •   Practical ways to reflect God’s righteousness in our relationships, decisions, and actions.

      •   The communal aspect of righteousness: reflecting God’s grace within the church community (1 John 4:7-12). “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.