Being born of a woman, Christ was necessarily born under the law, for
such is the condition of all mankind, and “in all things it behooved Him
to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people.” Heb. 2:17. He takes everything on Himself.
“He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” “Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our disease.” Matt. 8:17, R. V. “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.” He redeems us by coming into
our place literally, and taking our load off our shoulders. “Him who
knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21, R. V. In the fullest sense of
the word, and to a degree that is seldom thought of when the expression
is used, He became man’s substitute. That is, He permeates our being,
identifying Himself so fully with us that everything that touches or
affects us touches and affects Him. He is not our substitute in the
sense that one man is a substitute for another, in the army, for
instance, the substitute being in one place, while the one for whom he
is substitute is somewhere else, engaged in some other service. No;
Christ’s substitution is far different. He is our substitute in that He
substitutes Himself for us, and we appear no more. We drop out entirely,
so that it is “not I, but Christ.” Thus we cast our cares on Him, not by
picking them up and with an effort throwing them on Him, but by humbling
ourselves into the nothingness that we are, so that we leave the burden
resting on Him alone. Thus we see already how it is that He came
“To Redeem Them That Were under the Law.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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