The “Good” found in this Day JESUS Died
“When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities,
(The Letter of Paul to the Colossians 2: 15)
He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
The world saw Jesus bound, beaten, tortured, tried, and then forced to carry His own cross to Golgotha.
YET, heaven saw Satan defeated.
Men saw Christ’s body disfigured, naked, and crucified.
YET, heaven saw the forces of darkness disarmed.
Those present stood looking at the man hanging on the cross between two thieves.
YET, heaven saw the devil’s terrible works, the deceiver’s temptations, and Satan’s lies “nailed to the cross.”
The world saw a man shamed, his garments parted, his life taken.
YET, heaven saw the Lord Jesus Christ, seeing how HE bore the sins of the world in His body, how HE became sin for them.
HE, who knew NO SIN—BECAME SIN FOR THE WHOLE WORLD!
Greed. Lust. Self-serving. Pride. Hatred. Murder. Envy. Disbelief.
Our souls deserve damnation, separation—eternal Hell.
YET, the Father loved us so much that HE SENT HIS ONLY SON to die in our place.
- When we deserved captivity, Christ Jesus gave us liberation.
- When we were destined for separation, Christ Jesus made the only way to know Him.
- When we were headed toward death, Christ Jesus provided eternal life.
“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
(The Letter of Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-14)
He made you alive together with Him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions,
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us;
and He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross.”
Today is Good Friday.
“Good” only in what Christ Jesus did on the cross and in the grave for every person, those who have already lived, those who currently live, and for those who will live, who are yet to be born.
- HE makes us alive “with Him,” and HE forgives us our sins.
- HE cancels our debt we owe to the Father, and HE nails it to the cross.
“At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
(“At the Cross” by Isaac Watts and Ralph E. Hudson)
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!”
- At the cross, with eyes of faith, we see GOD.
- At the cross, with eyes of faith, we see Satan destroyed.
- At the cross, with eyes of faith, we see the wrath of the LORD appeased.
- At the cross, with eyes of faith, we see Christ conquer death.
The Roman soldiers did not take Jesus’ life that day; HE LAID IT DOWN, FOR YOU AND FOR ME!
- May we see Good Friday through eyes of faith, through heaven’s eyes.
- May we see the veil rent in the temple from top to bottom and the graves opened.
May we listen, through faith, hearing JESUS, as “He said, “It is finished!”
“And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (The Gospel According to John 19: 30b NASB)
As we reread those last statements, we realize the tense, noting how JESUS CHRIST DIED ONCE FOR MANKIND!
Jesus could have commanded 70,000 angels to come to His aid. He could have come down from the cross, but He stayed, there on the cross—for you and for me. Then, three days later, Jesus Arose from the Grave to New Life.
As we believe on HIM, placing our faith in His work on the cross and in the grave, we are called to walk in HIM, redeemed, day-by-day. Christ saves us from our sins. When we truly accept Jesus as Savior, God sees our heart and spiritually writes: PAID IN FULL.
Because our sin debt dates all the way back to the beginning of time, to the Garden of Eden, and to the first sin of Adam and Eve, then our salvation is on-going, a day-after-day salvation.
Christ Jesus died ONCE!
We are called to lay down, to die daily to our selfishness, our lust, our greed, our pride, our hatred, our murderous thoughts, our envy, and our disbelief.
We are to die, daily; we must choose each morning, to live, to take up our cross and follow HIM.