Today being Good Friday we wanted to share a summary of why the focus on the death of Christ.
"God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
First, in essence, Jesus came into the world to die and cover sin.
How did Jesus die?
On a cross through crucifixion.
Crucifixion is the most excruciating form of death.
It was designed for the worst of criminals in society.
Jesus was crucified in order to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows (Isa. 53:3-4).
Second, Jesus death on the cross finished his purpose for coming.
Jesus himself declared "It is Finished," referring to taking on the sin of the world (John 19:30).
Jesus came as our atonement (Rom. 4:25).
Jesus came and died in our place:
Living the life we were meant to live.
Dying the death we deserved to die.
Ultimately rising from the dead as a way to prove he conquered sin, death, and the grave.
How does the cross satisfy the wrath of God?
The result of sin is death so in order for the wrath of God to be appeased someone has to die.
In the Old Testament the wrath of God was appeased through an animal blood sacrifice.
In the New Testament we see the ultimate and final blood sacrificed required in Jesus.
Jesus, dying in our place, died the death that God revealed we deserved.
Hebrews 9:22
1 Peter 1:18-19
Jesus ended the need for a blood sacrifice.
How does the death of Christ justify us before God?
God deserves justice and will get justice.
Because we are not righteous we cannot justify God.
Jesus alone, being the perfect man, could justify us before God (Rom. 1:37; 5:16-17).
How does God redeem us through the cross?
Before the cross we were enslaved in our sin with no hope.
Through Jesus alone we have been offered a way out to be redeemed.
Justified by his grace (Romans 3:24).
Jesus gave himself for us (Titus 2:13-14).
Christ became cursed for us (Galatians 3:13-14).
Redemption through the blood (Ephesians 1:7).
So whom did Jesus come to die for?
Sinners, which includes all of us (1 Tim. 2:6).
He came to be the Savior of all people, but only in a saving way for those that believe/are elect in him (1 Tim. 4:10).
How is God triumphant through the cross of Christ?
Forgives us of all sin.
Expiation
Our sin is taken away from us and we are made clean through Jesus.
Our sin is taken away and put on Jesus.
At the cross of Christ we see the ultimate love sacrifice of God for us, which makes a way for reconciliation with God.
Good Friday is today, the day that we remember the reason that Jesus came to earth to die a bloody gruesome death on the cross in our place. At first look it appears that Christ death was nothing more than death in itself, appearing to some skeptics as proof against the claims of Jesus. But it is only friday, as we will see on Sunday, the resurrection comes and Jesus is Alive!
