Our Silent Substitute

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:"
Isaiah 53:7

No greater love has ever been shown than the love of God for all mankind. Isaiah, the prophet, paints for us a beautiful picture of God’s wondrous love. The beauty of God’s love is painted against the dark backdrop of man’s sinfulness. We who were created in the image and likeness of God and for His pleasure despised Him, rejected Him, hid our faces from Him, and turned to our own ways. Yet, God in His love countered our rejection by providing for us a way of redemption. We are told that Christ became "sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). He became our substitute and stood in our place taking upon Him our judgment and paying our penalty that we might have life eternal. Isaiah 53:4-5 clearly points out this truth and can be seen as we note the words "our" and "we". Six times these words are used to signify the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest truth may however be found in verse 7 where we are told that He endured the oppression and affliction without complaint, He never opened His mouth. He never called for fairness. He never called out for justice. He never once called out asking God to remove Him from that awful place. He endured silently for you and for me.

Believer, if He loved you then at Calvary, does He not love you still? Why then can we not trust Him with our all? Why do we call out for justice and fairness? He loves you still and is working in you to do of His good pleasure to make you a vessel fit for His honor. There is no greater love than the love of God for all mankind.

Pastor Bateman