God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that
in him we might become the righteousness of God.
—2 Corinthians 5:21
Charles Darnay was scheduled for execution in less than an hour. Sydney Carton, who could have passed for Darnay’s twin, finagled his way into his cell, swapped clothes with him, and died in his place.
Darney moved on to a comfortable life with his wife and son in England. So ends Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Fictitious, but touching.
Now for a touching story without a touch of fiction.
The verdict? Guilty! (Rom. 3:23). The sentence? Death! (Rom. 6:23).
But Jesus stepped into your dingy cell and swapped clothes with you—cloaked you in his righteousness, donned your sin-smirched duds … and died in your place.
You went free—in the words of that grand hymn—Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
Your freedom is free—but what it
cost is beyond comprehension.