“I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ was no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I have all founded our empires…but upon what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love, and at this moment, millions of men would die for him.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

Jesus Christ and the message He proclaims is a message of love. That message is inherently powerful to the degree that, in fact, millions of people have been changed because of it.

As the worship song says, “I know You gave the world Your only Son for us to know Your name and live within the Savior’s love. And He took my place, knowing He’d be crucified…and You loved a people undeserving”. This is a very real and unparalleled fact that slices right to the heart of what is so beautiful and so mysterious about the gospel.

How could a perfect, unblemished, holy God love someone so undeserving as me? Why would God be compelled to give up His Son just to save someone who really wouldn’t appreciate it as much as he should? Why does He love me so much?

In short, my answer is, “I just don’t know.” That, however, doesn’t change the fact that the message is true and because I have accepted it, it has changed me forever. There is power in the gospel that makes a person fall to their knees in appreciation while simultaneously scratching their head in confusion.

I, for one, don’t think that I will ever understand what makes a bratwurst so delicious but that will never stop me from slathering it up with yellow mustard and joyously consuming it when given the chance. Similarly (well, kind of), I doubt that I will ever truly understand why God has chosen to love me the way He does but that won’t ever prevent me from reveling in it.

The good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ is permanent and powerful…and that good news changes lives. Love is stronger than force, making the message of the gospel –which stands in sharp contrast to all other religions - sparkle with an attraction that is hard-wired into the DNA of every soul. We, as human beings that long to be loved, are instinctively drawn to that deep-rooted power communicated in the pages of Scripture. He loves us so much that He took our place, stepping in front of the nails that should have been driven into our hands and feet the moment we turned our back on God.

Often referred to as “the great exchange”, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says this: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

God took all of our sin and placed it on Jesus, and took all of Jesus’ perfection and placed it on us. Nothing is more powerful than that, and nothing is more worthy of our lives.

Re-read 2 Corinthians 5:21.

1. Take a moment to marvel at the fact that God took all of your sin and placed it on His Son, and He took all of Jesus’ righteous perfection and placed it on you.
2. How does that make you want to respond?
3. How will living and breathing this truth change the way you share the gospel?