It seems that we are always trying to change something about our lives. Whether it is a diet or an exercise program or quitting bad habits or starting good ones, we seem to have an instinctive sense that changes need to be made in our lives. We succeed or fail in our attempts at self-improvement according to the degree of our own human strength and will-power. Unfortunately, we bring this same kind of thinking into our relationship with God and try to change our lives spiritually by the same kind of self-effort and exercise of human will power.
Human effort and will power is not, however, God’s solution to our need for change. The message of the gospel is not “change your life”, but rather, “exchange your life”. Jesus said, “Whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” A Christian is not a person who is trying to make changes in his life; a Christian is a person who has exchanged his own life for another one.
A person who purchases a product that he later discovers to be defective is usually quick to bring it back to the place he bought it and exchange it for one that is not defective. Jesus invites us to exchange our defective lives for his own perfect one. He does not chide sinners because of their defects and demand that they make changes. He simply invites them to come to him with their flawed lives and exchange them for his perfect life.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians said, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” This is the language of exchange. At the cross Jesus was made to be sin for us. In other words, God dealt with our sin by judging and condemning it in the body of Christ. All of our human flaws and faults were fully dealt with by God himself in the body of Christ as he hung on the cross. A great exchange was made there. Jesus, who never sinned, was made to be our sin. In exchange we, who never did anything righteous, were made to be his righteousness.
Therefore, God’s message to humanity is not “you need to change your life”. His invitation to humanity is to accept His method of exchange by believing in and trusting in Jesus Christ who took all of our defects, flaws, faults and sins to the cross, and in exchange he offers us his perfect, flawless righteousness.
This exchanged life becomes a full reality in our lives the moment we place our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This, again, is the language of exchange. Christians are not sinners trying to straighten up their behavior; Christians are a completely “new creation” by virtue of their union with Jesus Christ. Christians have exchanged their old life for new life in Christ. It is by living in recognition of this fact that we experience true outward change in our lives. By faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ we live, not changed lives, but exchanged lives.