Both the enemies of Christ such as the Pharisees and some who would be His friends have referred to Christ as a “sinner,” even the “greatest sinner.” We know that the scriptures teach that Christ as our Surety assumed the full responsibility of the sins of His people before the world began.
Isaiah says, “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:6). But all that had to come upon Him at the hand of divine justice was because of this imputation. He was not responsible for our sins because of anything He did or was guilty of, all accountability for our sins was because God had imputed our sins to Him. As the Surety, justice held Him accountable. But He could only die for our sins if He was Himself sinless. Sins cannot be imputed to a sinner, who already had sinned. For this reason, rather than ever calling Christ a sinner, the Holy Scriptures proclaim the opposite! God the Spirit describes our Savior as He “who knew no sin.”
The angel says to Mary in Luke 1:35, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” The apostle in Hebrew 7:26, reminds us, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” Then Peter, led by the Spirit writes in 1Pe 2:22-24, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 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.” John the beloved joins in the same theme, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1Jo 3:5)
Rather than being the “greatest sinner,” Christ the sinless One was the greatest Sin-bearer! He was the greatest Substitute for sinners! How could He bear our sins? How could He die for sinners? Because He had no sin, knew no sin and was not a sinner! As Peter tells us, it was as the One “who did not sin” that He commited Himself to “him that judgeth righteously.”
How could the righteous Judge condemn and slay one who knew no sin? Because He stood before divine justice as the One responsible for the sins of others, responsible because of imputation. Because the Lord had laid on the sinless, immutable Savior the sins of His people! For myself, I must stay with what the scriptures say of Him, what they emphasize about Him and stay clear of all speculation and human logic. What happened when the priest laid his hands of the innocent sacrifice in a symbolic imputation? The sacrifice was slain and died. Thus He who knew no sin was made sin for us!