August 4, 2025 • 9 mins
Episode 31 dives deep into one of the most powerful truths in the entire Bible 2 Corinthians 5:21. Using both the NLT and KJV, we reflect on the beauty and weight of what Jesus did at the cross becoming sin so that we could become righteous. This is the gospel in a single verse. Join us as we sit quietly with this truth, letting it break us and rebuild us. If you’ve ever felt unworthy, unloved, or uncertain about your standing with God this episode is for you.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
The wooden cricket. Hey there, welcome back to the
Wooden Cricket Podcast. I'm your host, Lawrence.
If this is your first time here,I'm so glad you're with us.
And if you've been walking this road with me, thank you for
coming back. This is a space where we slow
down and we breathe deep and we draw closer to Jesus.
(00:28):
Born in the West End of Winnipeg, raised in the 90s.
I'm just a guy who met the Lord and hasn't looked back.
Today's episode is a very special one.
It's one of the deepest verses in all of Scripture.
It's just one sentence, but it holds the full weight of the
gospel. I'm talking about Second
Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21,where heaven's greatest truth
(00:52):
meets our deepest needs. It's not just theology.
This is very personal. This is about what Jesus really
did for you. This is about the cross, the
exchange, and the love that heldnothing back.
So whether you're driving or walking or you're just sitting
in your quiet room, I want to invite you to lean in.
(01:13):
So we're going to open the Word together and we're going to hear
what this is was willing to do to bring us home.
I came across this first yesterday.
I really for the first time, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
And usually when I'm reading something and I get really
excited about it, I'll go to my King James version of the Bible,
which my I got from my grandpa, which was his study Bible.
(01:35):
And I love when I see the same things highlighted.
It really just brings a smile tomy face and makes me feel really
good on the inside. So in the NLT version of the
Bible, this is what it says, forGod made Christ, who never
sinned to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made
right with God through Christ. And that's wild.
(01:57):
Listen to this in the King JamesVersion, for he hath made him to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. That's crazy.
So just listen to that. For he God hath made him Jesus
(02:17):
to be sin, for us to be your sin, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him, so that you the
person listening, believing in Jesus can be an eternity with
God the Father in heaven. That's that's wild.
Jesus knew no sin. That's not just theological
(02:40):
detail, it's the foundation of everything we believe.
He lived among sinners, and he walked dusty roads with broken
people, but never once let the dust cling to his soul.
The dirtiness of the world, it never, never stuck.
His Holiness wasn't a wall between him and us, it was a
bridge. Because he had no sin of his own
(03:02):
to carry. He was the only one that could
carry all of our sin. He knew no sin, but he knew us
even in that moment. He knew Lawrence, He knew you.
He knew our weakness, our rebellion and our shame.
And still he went. The cross wasn't an accident and
(03:23):
it was not a Plan B. It was the deception, the
destination of divine love. And this is where we start.
Jesus didn't just take on sin, He became it.
He took it all. He became what we were so that
we could become what He is. This is the heartbeat of the
Gospel. Exchange His innocence for our
(03:45):
guilt, His righteousness for ourruin.
His crown of glory traded for a crown of thorns.
And it wasn't a trade between equals.
It was the Creator stepping intowhat he created himself, the
judge taking the place for the guilty.
This is grace that offends pride, grace that levels the
(04:07):
self-righteous, and grace that rescues the addict and the
religious alike. When Jesus became sin, He didn't
just carry our mistakes. He bore our identity as sinners
so we could bear His identity aschildren of God.
He didn't just die for your sin,He died as if he was your sin.
(04:32):
So God sees you now. He doesn't see the record of
every terrible thing you've everdone.
He sees Christ Jesus when he looks at you.
That changes everything. There's our a very quiet lie
that slips into the hearts of Christians, and it's that I'm
not enough for God, or I need totry hard or be better or I need
(04:57):
to prove myself. But the gospel says the very
opposite. You are not righteous because
you perform. You're righteous because you're
positioned in Jesus Christ. Just let that truth settle on
your bones for a second. You don't need to strive your
way to God. Jesus already brought you home
(05:18):
in Romans chapter 3 verse 22. We are made right by God by
placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and this is true for
everyone who believes, no matterwho we are.
Righteousness is not a reward, it's a relationship.
It's not earned, it's given, andit's not flimsy.
(05:39):
It's blood bought, it's eternal and it's unshakable.
Sure, you might fall, you probably will.
You might wander. You could be doing that now.
But in Jesus you are standing with the Father and that is
secure. And you could take that to the
bank. So now that we've been made
right, what's next, huh? We live differently.
(06:01):
We walk in grace and we become ambassadors of this gospel. 2nd
Corinthians 520, just before ourverse we're talking about, says
we are Christ's ambassadors. God is making His appeal through
us. We speak for Christ when we
plead. Come back to God.
(06:25):
This verse isn't just about whatJesus did, it's about who you
are now. You are the righteousness of God
in Him, and you carry that righteousness into a very broken
world, not with arrogance, but with compassion, with hope, with
(06:45):
humility. We live wholly not to earn
grace, but to reflect it. We forgive because we've been
forgiven. We love because we have been so
radically loved by the Creator. And we share this gospel because
it's true, because it's history,because somebody out there still
(07:08):
doesn't know exactly what Jesus took their place for.
You know, maybe you're listeningtoday, feeling like you've
messed up too much. I know I certainly have had
times. And maybe shame.
Shame clings to you like a shadow.
Maybe you're tired of performingand tired of pretending.
(07:29):
But hear this. Jesus became sin.
Your sin insert name there so that you could become righteous.
He didn't do it because you weregood enough, he did it because
he is good enough. He loves you too much to leave
you where you are and I know that first hand.
(07:54):
So come close. Come just as you are.
Lay down the guilt and lay down the hustle.
Lay down the masks and let Jesuscover you in grace because you
are not too far gone friend, andyou are not disqualified and you
are not unloved. You are invited.
Fall into the arms of the One who already took your place.
(08:17):
Rest in the finished work of Jesus.
Walk boldly in the new life thatHe's given you.
And as you go out into the worldtoday, remember who you are, not
because of your story, but because of his story.
Thank you so much for being heretoday with me on the Wooden
(08:39):
Cricket podcast. I love you all, but more
importantly, Jesus loves you alland he's already paid the price
for you. So if this stirred something and
you please share it with somebody, you can listen to us
on Spotify on Apple Music, you can find us on Instagram.
I hope you got something out of this because it really shook me
when I read it and I'm going to read it again.
(09:01):
And it's, it's, it's the verse is going to stick with me for a
long time. I again, I hope you have a
fantastic day. It is a long weekend Monday here
in Canada and for my American viewers, I see, I see the
analytics. Thank you so much for tuning in
and listening. I love you all and I hope you
have a great, wonderful day. Leave some comments down below
for me to respond to. I'd love to get to know some of
(09:21):
you. Have a great day.
We'll talk to you again. Until next time, peace.
The wooden cricket. Hey there, welcome back to the
Wooden Cricket Podcast. I'm your host, Lawrence.
If this is your first time here,I'm so glad you're with us.
And if you've been walking this road with me, thank you for
coming back. This is a space where we slow
down and we breathe deep and we draw closer to Jesus.
(00:28):
Born in the West End of Winnipeg, raised in the 90s.
I'm just a guy who met the Lord and hasn't looked back.
Today's episode is a very special one.
It's one of the deepest verses in all of Scripture.
It's just one sentence, but it holds the full weight of the
gospel. I'm talking about Second
Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21,where heaven's greatest truth
(00:52):
meets our deepest needs. It's not just theology.
This is very personal. This is about what Jesus really
did for you. This is about the cross, the
exchange, and the love that heldnothing back.
So whether you're driving or walking or you're just sitting
in your quiet room, I want to invite you to lean in.
(01:13):
So we're going to open the Word together and we're going to hear
what this is was willing to do to bring us home.
I came across this first yesterday.
I really for the first time, it hit me like a ton of bricks.
And usually when I'm reading something and I get really
excited about it, I'll go to my King James version of the Bible,
which my I got from my grandpa, which was his study Bible.
(01:35):
And I love when I see the same things highlighted.
It really just brings a smile tomy face and makes me feel really
good on the inside. So in the NLT version of the
Bible, this is what it says, forGod made Christ, who never
sinned to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made
right with God through Christ. And that's wild.
(01:57):
Listen to this in the King JamesVersion, for he hath made him to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. That's crazy.
So just listen to that. For he God hath made him Jesus
(02:17):
to be sin, for us to be your sin, who knew no sin, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him, so that you the
person listening, believing in Jesus can be an eternity with
God the Father in heaven. That's that's wild.
Jesus knew no sin. That's not just theological
(02:40):
detail, it's the foundation of everything we believe.
He lived among sinners, and he walked dusty roads with broken
people, but never once let the dust cling to his soul.
The dirtiness of the world, it never, never stuck.
His Holiness wasn't a wall between him and us, it was a
bridge. Because he had no sin of his own
(03:02):
to carry. He was the only one that could
carry all of our sin. He knew no sin, but he knew us
even in that moment. He knew Lawrence, He knew you.
He knew our weakness, our rebellion and our shame.
And still he went. The cross wasn't an accident and
(03:23):
it was not a Plan B. It was the deception, the
destination of divine love. And this is where we start.
Jesus didn't just take on sin, He became it.
He took it all. He became what we were so that
we could become what He is. This is the heartbeat of the
Gospel. Exchange His innocence for our
(03:45):
guilt, His righteousness for ourruin.
His crown of glory traded for a crown of thorns.
And it wasn't a trade between equals.
It was the Creator stepping intowhat he created himself, the
judge taking the place for the guilty.
This is grace that offends pride, grace that levels the
(04:07):
self-righteous, and grace that rescues the addict and the
religious alike. When Jesus became sin, He didn't
just carry our mistakes. He bore our identity as sinners
so we could bear His identity aschildren of God.
He didn't just die for your sin,He died as if he was your sin.
(04:32):
So God sees you now. He doesn't see the record of
every terrible thing you've everdone.
He sees Christ Jesus when he looks at you.
That changes everything. There's our a very quiet lie
that slips into the hearts of Christians, and it's that I'm
not enough for God, or I need totry hard or be better or I need
(04:57):
to prove myself. But the gospel says the very
opposite. You are not righteous because
you perform. You're righteous because you're
positioned in Jesus Christ. Just let that truth settle on
your bones for a second. You don't need to strive your
way to God. Jesus already brought you home
(05:18):
in Romans chapter 3 verse 22. We are made right by God by
placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and this is true for
everyone who believes, no matterwho we are.
Righteousness is not a reward, it's a relationship.
It's not earned, it's given, andit's not flimsy.
(05:39):
It's blood bought, it's eternal and it's unshakable.
Sure, you might fall, you probably will.
You might wander. You could be doing that now.
But in Jesus you are standing with the Father and that is
secure. And you could take that to the
bank. So now that we've been made
right, what's next, huh? We live differently.
(06:01):
We walk in grace and we become ambassadors of this gospel. 2nd
Corinthians 520, just before ourverse we're talking about, says
we are Christ's ambassadors. God is making His appeal through
us. We speak for Christ when we
plead. Come back to God.
(06:25):
This verse isn't just about whatJesus did, it's about who you
are now. You are the righteousness of God
in Him, and you carry that righteousness into a very broken
world, not with arrogance, but with compassion, with hope, with
(06:45):
humility. We live wholly not to earn
grace, but to reflect it. We forgive because we've been
forgiven. We love because we have been so
radically loved by the Creator. And we share this gospel because
it's true, because it's history,because somebody out there still
(07:08):
doesn't know exactly what Jesus took their place for.
You know, maybe you're listeningtoday, feeling like you've
messed up too much. I know I certainly have had
times. And maybe shame.
Shame clings to you like a shadow.
Maybe you're tired of performingand tired of pretending.
(07:29):
But hear this. Jesus became sin.
Your sin insert name there so that you could become righteous.
He didn't do it because you weregood enough, he did it because
he is good enough. He loves you too much to leave
you where you are and I know that first hand.
(07:54):
So come close. Come just as you are.
Lay down the guilt and lay down the hustle.
Lay down the masks and let Jesuscover you in grace because you
are not too far gone friend, andyou are not disqualified and you
are not unloved. You are invited.
Fall into the arms of the One who already took your place.
(08:17):
Rest in the finished work of Jesus.
Walk boldly in the new life thatHe's given you.
And as you go out into the worldtoday, remember who you are, not
because of your story, but because of his story.
Thank you so much for being heretoday with me on the Wooden
(08:39):
Cricket podcast. I love you all, but more
importantly, Jesus loves you alland he's already paid the price
for you. So if this stirred something and
you please share it with somebody, you can listen to us
on Spotify on Apple Music, you can find us on Instagram.
I hope you got something out of this because it really shook me
when I read it and I'm going to read it again.
(09:01):
And it's, it's, it's the verse is going to stick with me for a
long time. I again, I hope you have a
fantastic day. It is a long weekend Monday here
in Canada and for my American viewers, I see, I see the
analytics. Thank you so much for tuning in
and listening. I love you all and I hope you
have a great, wonderful day. Leave some comments down below
for me to respond to. I'd love to get to know some of
(09:21):
you. Have a great day.
We'll talk to you again. Until next time, peace.
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