神刑罚了基督
那么神用甚么方法来赦免我们的罪呢？圣经给我们看见，我们从救恩中不光得到赦免，而更得到称义。圣经许多次都是说赦罪称义，这是叫我们得到新生命的第一步。我们要比较仔细的看，怎样得到赦罪和称义。我们还要说到基督，因为祂在这些事上非常的要紧。神看基督乃是一个新人类的起头，祂是第二个人，祂又是末后的亚当。首先的亚当是一个非常大的大人，全体的人都包在他里头。他一个人犯罪，全体的人就都犯了罪。现在呢，神就在基督身上施行罪的刑罚，因为基督也是一个非常大的大人，我们是包括在基督里面。这样，我们与祂是合一的，也就在祂里面受了刑罚了。因此在圣经里说，基督死，就是替我们死。不是要你个人去死，乃是你在基督里死，基督包括你死了，你的罪就得到赦免了。神所以赦免我们的罪，乃是根据祂已经在基督里刑罚了我们。这不是随便的赦免，乃是公义的赦免。
神赦免的手续
有一次，有一个人，对我说，神要赦免我们的罪，就赦免好了，何必还要祂儿子来，钉死在十字架上，何必这样啰嗦呢！我想他是不知道我们的神并不是一个糊里糊涂的滥好人。前几年，我在南京明德女校，也讲这个耶稣在十字架上死了，叫我们罪得赦免的道。但是那些学生们，还是不能领会。我讲道的地方，面前有一张桌子，桌子上有一个很好看的花瓶。我就问那个校长说，如果有人把这个花瓶打破了，按照你们的校规，应该怎么办？校长说，按规章是要赔的。我说，若是赔不起呢？她说，那总得赔。我说若是被一个你所爱的学生打破了，那要不要赔？她说，还是得赔。
第二天再讲的时候，花瓶忽然不见了，果然被一个学生打破了。而那个学生是校长所爱的并且又是赔不起的。我就藉着这个机会，再讲耶稣替死赦罪的救法。校长不能因爱这个学生而不叫她赔，但是叫她赔她又赔不起。在这两难之间只有一个办法，就是校长拿出赔款，替这个学生付出来，一面符合了校规，一面也显出校长的爱心来。你可以看见，基督来到世上，为我们的罪受了刑罚，担代了一切罪刑，叫我们得着赦免。基督来，就是神来，祂来替我们赔。祂这样作，一点也不会陷自己于不义，祂是非常合法，非常公义的。
赦免是吃亏
赦免包涵着一个意思，就是那被得罪者，担当了得罪者的刑罚。那个学生把花瓶打破了，应该是她赔。不赦免就是要她拿出钱来赔。若是赦免她，就是由校长作那个被得罪者，校长吃那个亏，替她赔。所以神赦免我们的罪，就是说神吃了我们罪的亏。绝对没有第二个人能赦免我们的罪，只有被得罪者才能吃得罪者的亏，别人是作不到的。基督在这里就是神，也就是我们所得罪的。祂赦免我们，是因着祂吃了我们得罪祂的亏。
信息重点：神没有因为爱我们就忽略我们的罪，乃是在基督里亲自担当了罪的代价。正如花瓶被打破以后必须有人赔偿，赦免并不是没有代价，而是被得罪者承担这个代价；基督来到，就是神亲自来为我们付上代价，使我们得着公义的赦免。
应用祷告：主耶稣，谢谢你为我的罪来到十字架上，担当我所不能担当的刑罚，付出我所不能付的代价。求你使我更多认识你的爱，也更珍赏你为我所完成的救赎。阿们。
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Complete Forgiveness of Sins (3) — 2 Cor. 5:21
God Punished Christ
By what means, then, does God forgive our sins? The Bible shows us that from salvation we obtain not only forgiveness but also justification. Many times the Bible speaks of the forgiveness of sins and justification together; this is the first step in our obtaining the new life. We should look more carefully at how we receive forgiveness of sins and justification. We also need to speak of Christ, because He is very crucial in these matters. God regards Christ as the beginning of a new humanity; He is the second man and the last Adam. The first Adam was a huge man, with all mankind included in him. When he alone sinned, all mankind sinned. Now God carries out the punishment of sin on Christ, because Christ is also a huge man, and we are included in Christ. In this way we are one with Him and thus were punished in Him. Therefore, the Bible says that Christ’s death was a death for us. It is not that you personally must die; rather, you died in Christ, and Christ included you in His death, and your sins are forgiven. The reason God forgives our sins is that He has already punished us in Christ. This is not a casual forgiveness but a righteous forgiveness.
God’s Procedure of Forgiveness
Once someone said to me, “If God wants to forgive our sins, He should simply forgive them. Why must He have His Son come and be nailed on the cross? Why make such a fuss!” I think he did not know that our God is not a muddleheaded, easygoing person. A few years ago, at Mingde Girls’ School in Nanjing, I also spoke on this matter of Jesus dying on the cross that our sins might be forgiven. But those students still could not comprehend. In the place where I was speaking, there was a table in front of me, and on the table there was a beautiful vase. I asked the principal, “If someone breaks this vase, according to your school rules, what should be done?” The principal said, “According to the rules, she must pay for it”. I said, “What if she cannot afford to pay?” She said, “She must still pay”. I said, “What if it is broken by a student whom you love? Must she pay?” She said, “She must still pay”.
When I spoke again the next day, the vase had suddenly disappeared; it had indeed been broken by a student. And that student was one whom the principal loved and who could not afford to pay. I took this opportunity to speak again on the salvation in which Jesus died in our place to forgive sins. The principal could not, because of her love for this student, refrain from requiring her to pay; yet to require her to pay was something the student could not afford. Between these two difficulties there was only one way: the principal herself takes out the payment and pays on behalf of this student, thereby both fulfilling the school rules and also showing the principal’s love. You can see that Christ came to the world, received the punishment for our sins, and bore all the penalty of sin, so that we may receive forgiveness. Christ’s coming is God’s coming; He came to pay for us. In doing this, He does not put Himself in unrighteousness in the least; He is altogether lawful and altogether righteous.
Forgiveness Means Taking the Loss
Forgiveness implies that the offended one bears the punishment of the offender. That student broke the vase, so she ought to pay. Not to forgive means requiring her to take out the money and pay. To forgive her means that the principal, as the offended one, takes the loss and pays on her behalf. Hence, God’s forgiveness of our sins means that God has taken the loss for our sins. There is absolutely no second person who can forgive our sins; only the offended one can take the loss of the offender, and no one else can do this. Christ here is God, and He is the One we have offended. He forgives us because He has taken the loss of our offending Him.
Message Major Points: God did not ignore our sins because He loves us; rather, in Christ He Himself bore the price of sin. Just as after a vase is broken someone must compensate for it, forgiveness is not without cost; rather, the offended one bears the cost. When Christ came, God Himself came to pay the price for us, that we may obtain righteous forgiveness.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to the cross for my sins, bearing the punishment I could not bear and paying the price I could not pay. Make me to know Your love more and to treasure more what You have accomplished for me in redemption. Amen.