If Jesus was sinless, how could he have been made a sinner (2 Corinthians 5:21)?
According to Paul, Jesus was made a sinner, “because God hath made him a sinner for our sakes, that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In this verse, the ‘unknown’ person is Jesus, who was made a sinner for us. According to the clear teachings of the Scriptures, Jesus is sinless. If so, how could sin be made?
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is sinless. John, Jesus’ closest disciple, wrote of Jesus, “You know that he was revealed to take away sin. And there is no sin in him ”(1 John 3: 5). Peter, another close disciple of Jesus, made the same point, “He did no sin, and no deception was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). Jesus, like us, was “tested in all things, and without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Paul also states in the same passage (2 Corinthians 5:21) that Jesus was a person who did not recognize sin.
There were probably three things in Paul’s mind when God told Jesus that he had “sinned for our sake.” First, God’s wrath fell on Jesus when He bore the guilt of the sins of all mankind on the cross. Although Jesus was without sin, God treated him like a sinner. Second, Jesus Christ became the perfect and final sacrifice for sin (Leviticus 4:24; 5:12). Third, Jesus became the center of sin in God’s judgment.
Thus, although Jesus did not commit any personal sin, he was made a sin for us.