October 7. 2019 - What is a Substitute? (Early release)

For almost 25 years I have been serving with InBounds Ministries and been blessed through our athletic platform to present Christ as the Substitute God sent into the game of life for us… I love getting to encourage people to throw up a fist to The Coach when realizing they need a Sub…


So, what is a substitute? That may sound like a stupid question, but it is one that has to be asked. This is a central truth to the core of the Gospel itself… many will claim agree with me on that statement, but yet proclaim a message that doesn’t understand what a substitute is…


Imagine with me that a player called for a sub, the coach sent one to check in… Upon the sub checking in, what does the player that is subbed for do? He goes out of the game; the sub did not come to give him strength or encouragement or to get him to play better… the sub took his place!!!


Any so called Gospel message that requires that a player stay on the floor to play better, misses the substitutionary principal of the Gospel: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) The Gospel is completely about Christ taking our place! When we trust (believe) in that, the Bible declares us saved! (“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” – the words of Jesus, found in John 6:47)


Some will scream at me, “It can’t be that easy! That is cheap grace!” To which I answer, “You just changed the Gospel by claiming that I am not asking people to spend enough for salvation… you questioned to validity of the cost. That is the beauty of the Gospel, it is about Jesus paying the whole price! The true Gospel is not cheap… it is free… that is what grace means!


Once we are “saved” we are then encouraged to still live by faith… trusting God’s Word… living according to God’s Word… I believe that is how we allow Christ to live through us. Christ was described as “the Word (that) became flesh” and we are told in Galatians 2:20 that “Christ lives in me (us), and the life which I (we) now live in the flesh I (we) live by faith in the Son of God.” So logically how the “Living Word” can lie through us, is by allowing His written Word to guide us.


As the Substitute, Christ did not come to play alongside us or to give us a self-improvement plan, but to He came to:

Play for us! – that is justification (salvation)….

and to Play through us!… - that is sanctification!


What does the word substitute mean to you? Have you first trusted in what Christ did for you? Second, do you trust His Word allowing Him to live through you?


Jesus, Jesus, Jesus… sweetest name I know!