Daily Devotions

“Made Good with the Goodness of God”

“Make your peace with God.” For God caused Christ, who himself knew nothing of sin, actually to be sin for our sakes, so that in Christ we might be made good with the goodness of God.
—2 Corinthians 5:21 (J.B. Phillips)

There is no deeper mystery and no greater gift than this: the sinless one became sin so that the sinful could become righteous. Paul doesn't say Christ carried sin like a burden or bore it like a symbol—he says Christ was made to be sin. It’s hard to imagine, yet it’s the very heart of the gospel.

Jesus knew no sin. Not a trace of it clung to Him. But out of pure love, He took our guilt, our shame, and our wrongs into Himself. Why? So we could receive something utterly foreign to us: the goodness of God. Not borrowed, not earned—but given. Freely, fully, forever.

This isn’t just forgiveness—it’s exchange. Our brokenness for His beauty. Our rebellion for His righteousness. Our distance for His closeness.

This verse tells us we don’t just get a clean slate—we get a whole new identity. In Christ, we become people who are right with God, who live in peace with God, because Christ has done what we never could. We’ve been made “good with the goodness of God.”

And that goodness begins to reshape everything. It doesn’t mean we’re perfect—but it does mean we’re new. It means we no longer live from shame, fear, or striving. We live from grace.

Reflection

• Do I believe that Christ really took my sin?
• Am I living as someone who has been made “good with the goodness of God”?
• What might change if I truly made my peace with God—not just in theory, but in practice?

Holy God,
It humbles me to think that Jesus, who never knew sin, 

took mine so that I could share in Your righteousness.
Thank You for this incredible exchange.
Help me live as someone who has made peace with You—
not in fear or shame, but in freedom and joy.
Shape my life by Your goodness.
May Your image be seen in me, through Christ my Lord.
Amen.