In the passage that we have read from Isaiah 53, notice that it says, "But He was pierced because of our transgressions; / He was crushed because of our iniquities; / The chastening for our peace was upon Him, / And by His stripes we have been healed" (v. 5). Please observe that it says "our" instead of "your." He bore the suffering for our sins. Hence, our sins are forgiven. It is for us and not for the whole world. When Peter quoted Isaiah 53, he said, "Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24). It was always "our" and not "your." Hence, we have to be careful when we preach the gospel. It is better that we adhere more to the Bible. The Bible never says to sinners that Jesus died for their sins. The Bible says that Jesus died for them (Rom. 5:8). There is such a thing as Jesus dying for them. But there is no such thing as Jesus dying for their sins. For Jesus to die for them is a fact. But the problem of sin is not solved yet. It is true that all the problems of sin are solved before God already. But if one has not participated in this work, his sins are not yet solved, and he has no part in the substitution of Jesus. When one receives the Lord Jesus, his problem of sin is taken care of. This is substitution. Without this, there is no substitution. In other words, redemption has been accomplished, but salvation has not yet been accomplished. If I were to ask you when you were redeemed, you should reply that it transpired two thousand years ago. But if I were to ask you when you were saved, you should say that it happened in a certain year on a certain day and month. Redemption is something that happened long ago. Salvation is something present. Redemption was accomplished by Christ. Salvation is realized in us. We were redeemed two thousand years ago. But we may have been saved for only a few years. I do not know how to say it more clearly. This is very clear to me. God's work of redemption is a matter regarding Himself; it is to satisfy Himself and has nothing to do with us. It is something absolutely before God. God Himself was the One who did the work. When we come and see what God has accomplished, and believe and accept it, we will receive this substitution.

Let us use another illustration. There is a crossing that joins the east and west bank of the Whampoa river. It is free of charge. The name of the place is called The Free Crossing. Suppose I were a robber who had robbed and stolen many times there. However, now I am different. What should I do if I want to have a thorough dealing concerning my past theft and robbery? Even if I want to repay, where should I go? Those from whom I stole are now nowhere to be found. What should I do? For the sake of righteousness and in order to repay, I may start a free service to ferry people across the river. Anyone can come for the ride, and no money is charged. I may do this to repay the money that I stole from people in this area. I offer this kind of free service as a solution to the problem of my unrighteousness. This free service is to me a solution to unrighteousness. But to others, it is a substitution; I am paying the fare on others' behalf. This is the way that the Lord Jesus deals with the problem of punishment. God sent the Lord Jesus to accomplish redemption in order that the problem of sin, as well as His own holiness and righteousness, might be taken care of. When one believes, he will enter into this work, and the Lord Jesus will take away his sins.

Hence, the New Testament says, "Christ also has suffered once for sins, the Righteous on behalf of the unrighteous" (1 Pet. 3:18). He "Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24). All of these were done for us. On the night the Lord was betrayed, He took the cup and blessed it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins," (Matt. 26:28). It was for many, not for all. In the future, we will see innumerable ones, with palm branches in their hands, who are washed by the blood (Rev. 7:9, 14). Thank the Lord. He accomplished redemption for His own sake, so that we can be substituted. We can say nothing but to thank and praise Him.