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Friend, the cross: the great exchange!

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

2 Corinthians 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

At the heart of redemption stands the cross — not merely a symbol of suffering, but the place of divine exchange where heaven met humanity. On that hill, everything that separated mankind from God came face-to-face with His holiness and love. Our sin, our shame, our striving, and every false identity we ever carried were nailed there. In that sacred moment, the broken reflection of humanity was exchanged for the radiant image of the Son. As Paul writes, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This was the greatest transaction in eternity — the righteous One became sin so that the sinful might become righteous. The Son of God took upon Himself the distorted identity of fallen humanity so that we could receive His divine nature. The cross was never just about forgiveness; it was about transformation. It wasn’t only the cleansing of guilt — it was the beginning of our restoration back to glory.

When Yeshua (Jesus) lifted His voice and declared, “It is finished,” the curse that began in Eden was broken forever. The false identities we wore — the labels of failure, fear, rejection, and shame — lost their power. The blood that flowed from His body became the ink that rewrote our story. The cross became the dividing line between who we were and who we are now. Paul captures this truth, saying, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

Beloved, this is the mystery and the miracle — the Great Exchange. Your old self was not repaired; it was crucified. Your new life is not a remodel of your past, but a complete rebirth in His image. You no longer live as a reflection of Adam’s fall but are called to be a reflection of Yeshua’s victory. The cross is not the end of your identity; it is the beginning of your true one.

Every scar of the Savior declares your worth, and every drop of His blood testifies that you are no longer who you once were. The world may try to name you by your failures, but heaven calls you by His righteousness. The cross has spoken a better name over you, just as the prophet Isaiah declared: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).

Friend, hear this with power and conviction — it’s time to stop trying to repair what God has already crucified. The old man cannot be fixed; he must remain buried. Lay down every false label the world, the enemy, or even your own thoughts have placed upon you, and let the cross alone define who you are. When you came to Him in faith — when you bowed your heart before the cross and surrendered your life into His hands — something supernatural happened. You did not simply turn over a new leaf; you were reborn. This is the unstoppable power of the Great Exchange: He took what was ours — sin, guilt, and death — so that we could receive what is His — righteousness, sonship, and eternal life. Your identity is no longer written by your failures but sealed by His finished work. Behold the cross and see who you have become — beloved, forgiven, righteous, and redeemed — a child of God, fully restored to the image of the Son. And when this truth pierces your heart, when you truly grasp that your striving is over and your identity complete in Him — then, beloved, you will enter His perfect rest.

Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend ... see you bright and early Monday morning!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Arad, Israel)