So what?
How can something that happened so long ago affect you and me
today? We can only understand if we seriously consider Jesus
Christ, and not dismiss him as some religious figure from the
past, an example to follow or simply a very good man. On the
united evidence of many witnesses Christians believe that Jesus
was both God and man in one person. In his death by crucifixion
on the Friday we see God lovingly dealing with mankind’s
universal condition - our sinfulness. ‘No one is perfect’ we
often say as we try to excuse ourselves. That’s true, but we
cannot avoid the issue with some throw-away comment like that.
Belief in a God of love does not mean that He turns a blind eye
to our sin - He cannot! His holiness and justice require that
sin is punished. In the death of Jesus by crucifixion on the
Friday we see God’s love for us wonderfully revealed. God steps
into our helpless situation and accepts the punishment due to
us, so that we can be free. The Bible puts it like this:-
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and
by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone
astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has
laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5,6
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we
might die to sins and live for righteousness...
1 Peter 2:24
That’s why it is ‘Good’ Friday. This is the good news of the
Christian message: we need not remain condemned before a holy
God but can be assured that He holds nothing against us.
The decisive factor
If there remained any doubt about who Jesus was and what was the
reason for his crucifixion it was settled by a great event in
the early hours of Sunday morning. Jesus came alive again. It
wasn’t just that his tomb was empty – he was met by many who had
known him before his death. The Bible explains:-
He was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his
resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:4
The resurrection of Jesus tells us that God is satisfied; the
demands of His justice have been fully met and the believer in
Jesus need have no fear of death or judgment. The new life which
Jesus entered when he left his tomb is a pattern of what will be
experienced by Christians in the future. For them the future is
bright with hope and this is available to us all.
All this is what the Bible calls ‘salvation’; it’s a gift, and
like all gifts, it must be received before it is of any benefit
to you. To ‘believe’ is to ‘receive’. It becomes personal when
you humbly acknowledge your need of God’s forgiveness and place
your trust in Jesus Christ as your only Saviour. Then the events
of that weekend many years ago will become life-changing for
you.
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is
not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and
only Son. John 3:17,18
Produced by a retired Baptist minister living in Dersingham who
attends the Snettisham Christian Fellowship. Sunday morning
service at 10.45 is held in the Memorial Hall, Old Church Road,
where you will be very welcome. For further explanation and help
Tel: 01485 540466
