Good Friday is good because God carried out His perfect plan to redeem mankind, to break the curse of sin and death.  That required Jesus to submit His will to the Father’s will and lay down His life - to suffer, bleed and die on the cross for the sins of all people.   

Why did Jesus have to die?  The Bible explains that in the beginning of time God created a perfect world, and in this world He placed the first man and woman.  He made them in His image and with free will.  They were free to obey or disobey Him.  God gave them one command and warned them that if they broke it, they would die.  As the story goes, we learn that they broke that command and sin entered the world.  God’s perfect creation was now filled with disobedience, sadness, sickness and death, and man could no longer live with a Holy God.  So they were sent away.  As the world continued to decline God set in motion a plan to rescue His people.  That plan was fulfilled on a hill called Calvary, when God’s perfect Son, Jesus, died to take away the sins of the world, reuniting mankind with their Creator.  But that’s just part of the story. The next part is the best part. Three days after Jesus died He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death and opening up the doors of heaven for all who believe to once again live with God forever.

And He did all of this because HE LOVES US.  In John 3:16 God tells that He loves the world so much that He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. In John 15:13 Jesus says that there is no greater love than for one to lay down his life for his friends.  And Romans 5:8 says that God showed His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Here God makes it clear that He died before people came to believe in Him.  The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We are all indebted to God, but are unable to repay Him.  So Jesus did it for us.  He only requires that we believe in Him, repent of our sins and receive His gift of salvation.

So, what about you? Are you ready to receive the greatest gift this life has to offer? If so, pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins, profess your belief that Jesus died for you, then ask to receive His Holy Spirit. If you’ve done this, reach out to a local pastor and begin the most exciting and rewarding adventure of your life. We’re praying for you. God bless you.

© 2020 Carla Varner, Distribution by icdat Productions