THE GREATEST EXCHANGE

by Greg Quinn

November 7th, 2025

My Dad, JP Quinn, loved to trade cars. Well, he loved to trade about anything, but especially cars. I remember when I was a boy, Dad traded a shotgun for a mule, then later traded the mule and a plow for a tractor, then traded for another tractor. And the tractor trading went on for years. But he loved to trade cars. It was beyond just getting the newer car in exchange for the older one but also had to do with the "art of the trade". I remember going into car dealerships with him (initially to train me on how to trade cars, but later because Mom and everyone else refused to go with him) and it was an all-day affair. Dad would go to dealerships until he found what he wanted, then the poor salesman that happened to ask Dad "can I help you" would spend all day back and forth with Dad, haggling over the deal. When Dad finally got the price he wanted for the trade, then he would start on "extras". "Well, you are going to throw in a set of floor mats, aren't you?" "Can I bring the car back here for a year of free oil changes?" You get the point. Dad loved to trade. He loved the exchange that brought him a new car (or tractor, or truck, or whatever) in exchange for the older one. And he loved the process. 

Dad was also a Pastor. In my count over some 50 years, Dad pastored 5 churches. The last one was also the first one and Dad was Pastor of Carlisle Missionary Baptist Church for over 30 years. When Dad preached, he often talked about the "exchange", trading one's life of sin for a life of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is this last exchange that Dad recognized was the most important, and the topic of this Greg's Corner article. 

There is a new song out by a group called Sons of Sunday. Every one of these young men's dads were also Pastors, except the older of the group, Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. They have a song, Exchange, which really drives home the greatest exchange ever known to man, Jesus' exchange of his righteousness for our sin. 

Beauty for ash
Triumph for tears
What a wonderful exchange
My Savior made
That He made for me 

His was the loss
Oh, mine was the gain
What a wonderful exchange
My Savior made
He made for me 

And I will lift my eyes to Calvary
Where my Jesus died
And covered me
You gave it all
Now it's paid in full
Lord, I can't believe You did that for me
I just can't believe You did that for me

When we look at the Word of God, we see throughout Scriptures details about this great exchange. It was prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament. The entire Bible is based upon this exchange. How God the Father created Man as pure and holy, Man's sin caused the curse of sin to be placed on mankind, the curse of sin is death, and instead of being mad at Man's disobedience, God had already created a way to bring mankind back to God, back to the Garden, to become once again pure and righteous and justified, not by discounting the evil effects of sin, but by providing a once and for all time substitute to take our place for our sins, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We deserved to die for our sins, but Jesus came from Heaven to take our place, to die in our stead, and provide salvation for any who simply believed in Him. What an exchange! 

2 Corinthians 5:21: 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. 

Jesus was without sin, but became sin for our benefit, in order to exchange his righteousness for our sin. 

Romans 5:18: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Jesus death on the cross as payment for our sin, and resurrection to new life to provide eternal life to those of us who believed, through this free gift we are justified (just as if I never sinned). 

1 Peter 2:24: 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. 

Jesus' death on the cross took away our sins. His blood cleaned us from all sin. His blood purified us. We are no longer alive to sin but dead to sin, and therefore having exchanged his righteousness for our sin, we can live without sin. We can live in health, because by His stripes we were healed. Our sin is behind us. Our future is before us, a bright future with hope and eternal life. Our poor health is exchanged for Jesus' perfect health and by the stripes He bore on our behalf, we are healed.  

Are you willing to give up your life of sin and stress and sickness for a life of joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance? When you accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit of God takes residence in you, and this salvation produces the "fruit of the spirit" as indicated in Galatians chapter 5. 

Galatians 5:16-25: 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Jesus exchanged His righteousness for our sin.Jesus exchanged His triumph for our failures.

Jesus exchanged His health for our sickness.
Jesus exchanged His suffering for our salvation.
Jesus exchanged His prosperity for our poverty.
Jesus exchanged His forgiveness for our unforgiveness.
Jesus exchanged His success for our failures.

Jesus left the glory of Heaven as the King to come to earth and become human. 
Jesus left the richness of Heaven to be born in a stable. 
Jesus never sinned but became sin so that we might be saved.
We have achieved health through Jesus stripes.
We have achieved salvation from our sins through His blood. 

We have given up our poor standing with God to become righteous in the eyes of God.

What an exchange! 

How do we make this trade? 

We realize we are a sinner. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God".  

We realize that in God's holiness, our sin demands death as its payment. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23). When man sinned, the penalty for sin was death. Someone had to die to pay for sin. But we didn't have to; God sent Jesus Christ His Son to die in our place. 

But this salvation is ours for the asking. We simply ask and believe. 

Romans 10:9-10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

What about you today? Are you willing to trade your sin and unforgiveness in the greatest exchange, and receive the salvation and healing and provision and all that Jesus died to give you as a free gift? 

It's very simple. Receive this free gift through God's grace today. Pray a simple prayer right now as follows: 

"Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you are the Son of God who came to die for my sins. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I accept your free gift of grace and forgiveness. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I choose now to live a life pleasing to God. I accept you as my Savior and Lord. I receive your salvation as exchange for my sin, right now. Thank you for saving me, Jesus." 

If you prayed a simple prayer like this, you have the confirmation of the Scriptures that you are eternally saved. You can start today to enjoy a new life. Thanks to the greatest exchange. Get a Bible and read it. Start with the book of John then read the book of Romans. 

Get in a Bible-believing church and learn from others who are on the same path as you. Pray for help from the Holy Spirit in learning more daily, and living better daily, through the power that is now in you. 

Enjoy the greatest exchange you could ever experience. 

God bless you.

Greg Quinn