The question occupied my thoughts for days.
"If Christ took my sin, then what did He give to me?"
The more I reflected on it, the more important it became. If Jesus had borne my guilt and paid my debt, what did that mean for my standing before God?
When I met Pastor Lovedale again, he opened his Bible to the same passage we had discussed before.
"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."
He pointed to the verse.
"Martin, what did Christ receive?"
"My sin," I replied.
"And what do believers receive?"
I read the verse again.
"The righteousness of God."
He smiled.
"That is what many call the great exchange."
The phrase immediately captured my attention.
"The great exchange?"
"Yes. Christ takes what belongs to you and gives you what belongs to Him."
For a moment, I sat speechless.
For years I had been trying to produce righteousness through effort, discipline, and determination. I believed that acceptance before God depended upon how well I performed. Yet every attempt left me painfully aware of my failures.
Now Pastor Lovedale was showing me something entirely different.
Righteousness was not something I earned.
It was something I received.
Seeing my confusion, he offered an illustration.
"Suppose a poor man owes a debt he can never repay. A wealthy man comes and pays the debt in full. How much remains?"
"Nothing," I answered.
"Correct. Now suppose that same wealthy man deposits a fortune into the poor man's account."
I smiled.
"The poor man becomes rich."
"Exactly."
Then he pointed toward me.
"That is what God has done through Christ."
The illustration made everything clearer.
Jesus had not merely removed my guilt.
He had provided His righteousness.
God was not simply leaving me with a clean slate. He was clothing me with the righteousness of His Son.
The thought overwhelmed me.
For decades I had focused on my sins, my weaknesses, and my failures. Now I was beginning to see the greatness of God's provision.
Salvation was far more than the cancellation of debt.
It was the gift of righteousness.
The more I considered it, the more amazed I became.
If this was true, then my standing before God did not depend upon my performance.
It depended upon Christ.
Yet one question still remained.
If God had truly given me Christ's righteousness, could I finally have peace with Him?