04/07/2023
It seems a bit morbid to call the day of someone’s death “Good”. So why Good Friday? It isn’t the torture of Christ and the agony of his crucifixion that we call “Good” but rather the result of those things: His atonement for our sins. Our hearts should be grieved by his pain and death, particularly since it is our sin that caused it. But we simultaneously rejoice in God’s sovereign grace in that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It is a gift freely given and hard-won by an infinitely loving God.
For those who are adopted into the kingdom of God as outlined by Paul through the Spirit- “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 - let’s not only remember today what was accomplished on the cross at Calvary, but live lives that reflect the newness of life that we have been given through Christ’s sacrifice.
For those who have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord - which doesn’t happen through church attendance, living a ‘good’ life, saying that you are a Christian, being baptized, reading your Bible… - I encourage you to start a conversation with someone about what it means to be saved.
Soon we will be able to greet each other with the joyful statement “He is Risen” and the reply “He is risen, indeed”. But today we glorify God for the words of Jesus on the cross, “It is finished”.