I was recently asked if I believe that sin was actually infused into Christ thereby making Him a sinner when He died in the stead of His people. I want you to think about that issue and as you do reflect on these questions, what is a sinner – and – what is the Bible definition of sin? In order to understand the word sinner, pay attention to Mr. Webster’s meaning of er when put at the end of a verb. He says er is “a suffix added to verb bases meaning the action of.” Here are some examples of verb base words with er added. One who fights is a fighter. One who runs is a runner. One who preaches is a preacher. One who serves is a server. You get the idea. One who sins, therefore, is a sinner. Now I ask you, did the Lord Jesus sin? What do the Scriptures say? “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously: Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed” (1st Peter　2:22-24). What is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1st John 3:4). The issue, therefore, amounts to this: did Christ ever transgress the law of God? If He did, He was a sinner; if He did not, He was not a sinner. Again, what do the Scriptures say? It is written that Christ died, “the Just for the unjust to bring us to God” (1st Peter　3:18). “Just” means righteous, and the word is capitalized. Christ was not sinful or unrighteous when He died. He was, is and always shall be “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:6). Remember that in the covenant of grace our Surety assumed full responsibility for our spiritual indebtedness, as illustrated by what Paul said concerning Onesimus. He wrote to Philemon, “if he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account” (Philemon 1:18). The sin-debt of His people was imputed to the account of our Substitute. When He shed His blood and paid for our sins, did He become a sinner? Did sin enter that Holy One? The very idea is preposterous and anti-scriptural. How did Christ satisfy the demands of a broken law and save us from our sins? By enduring the judgment of God appointed for sin; He was the Offering for sin. It is not written that Christ died for His sins, but He “died for our sins” (1st Corinthians 15:3). The Saviour endured divine wrath and so redeemed His people from the claims of offended justice. He was condemned because of our sins, but He had none of His own, therefore He was never a sinner.

J. Byrd