This is the greatest fact ever heard by human ears. Every human being is born in the Black Circle of Sin. The Black Circle of Sin is the place of extreme danger, darkness, guilt, divine justice, vengeance, condemnation, and wrath. We cannot escape the Black Circle of Sin in our own strength, that is, through our own natural human goodness. Our good works are no good, they are tainted with our sins and selfishness, they cannot help save us at all. The Bible says, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Your sins against the Ten Commandments have separated you from God (lies, thefts, lust, greed, and hatred). Sins against God demand Divine Justice and eternal death, so Jesus had to die. The fear of Death and the coming Divine Justice haunt your mind and conscience continually. God is just, He must punish every sin, you're a sinner, therefore, He must punish you. But God devised a wondrous saving plan to rescue the guilty sinner from His coming judgment and wrath. God became a Jewish man, His name was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus stood and suffered in the sinner's place. He bore our sins in His own body, and He was punished as if He had committed our sins. Now, whosoever trusts in Christ Jesus Himself (His Blood and Righteousness) alone will not suffer and perish in Hell, because God has punished Christ in the place of the sinner.
Here’s God’s marvelous plan of Substitution: First, you must take the sinner’s place, admit you are lost, own your guilt before God, and confess that you are an ungodly and undone sinner in need of free forgiveness from God. Salvation is not about what you do at all, but what Another, Christ Jesus, has already done for you. While you procrastinate and remain in the Black Circle of Sin, you continue to face certain Divine Justice and the Wrath of God continues to abide on you (John 3:36).
There must be a change of places between you and Christ. If you die in the Black Circle of Sin, you will have to be punished for your sins forever and ever in Hell. But God doesn’t want you to suffer. God sent His Son, Christ Jesus came into this world to suffer in your place and die for your sins. This is called Substitution. Second, you must now call upon Jesus Christ and He will come and stand in the Black Circle of Sin with you. He will then give you His robe of Righteousness (absolute perfect HOLINESS), and you must give Him your filthy rags of sin.
There must be an exchange between you and Christ personally. Christ steps into the Black Circle and dies there in your place. Third, the moment you take Christ's Righteousness (stop trying to save yourself, and put your trust entirely on His doings and blood), you can then step over into His White Circle of Holiness, and then you’re safe. Christ takes your place, and gives you His place as a gift. Christ is condemned, and you’re saved. Take the Sinner’s Friend as your friend, because you’re a sinner. Christ is the gift of God to you. God’s Pardon is a free gift for lost, bankrupt sinners. This is the Gospel – You’re a sinner, Christ died in the sinner’s place, when you trust Him (exchange your sins for His Righteousness) – you’re saved forever. At that moment, your sins are not your sins anymore, they are transferred from you to Christ forever - they are put on Christ, and Christ's robe of Righteousness is put on your naked soul. You can take Christ's place, because He took your place. This is the only hope for sinful man.
Here is the main truth you must trust – God became a human being and bled in the sinner’s place. Christ Jesus suffered in the sinner’s place, Christ bore the sinner’s sin; Christ was smitten with the sinner’s stripes, thorns, and nails. Christ stood in the place of the lost sinner (Black Circle), He was treated as if were the sinner, and now the sinner that trusts Christ's blood and works alone is treated by God as if he were the Righteous One (in the White Circle). It is simply a change of places: Christ becomes the sinner; He stands in the sinner’s place and is numbered with the transgressors. You stand in the Savior's place, and appear before God in Christ's Righteousness. Here and now, if you will trust Christ alone to save you, God will put you into the Savior's place. God will look upon Jesus as if He has been the sinner, and then God will look upon you as the Perfect One. Remember – Trust nothing but Christ, Christ alone.
There must be a change of places. Christ and the sinner must change places. Christ in your place, and you in His place. Christ took upon Himself the responsibility, the blame, the curse for your sins. The sinner forsakes himself, trusts Christ alone, and then becomes absolutely Righteous, because he stands in Christ's place. See II Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 3:13; I Peter 2:24. Jesus Christ willingly puts Himself into the sinner's place on the Cross, and whosoever will trust Him, will be put into Christ's place by the grace and power of God. Come now, change places with Christ, and rely only on the Great Savior that took your place. Trust this simple truth – Christ instead of you. Jesus, the Offended One, suffers in the offender’s place. You trust Him, and your sinful deeds are transferred to Christ’s account, and His merits are transferred to your account. This is call Imputation (Read Romans 4:5-9 closely). Trust *Him* here and now, changes places with Him, give Him your sins, and take His Righteousness!
