GOOD FRIDAY! WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT?

It was a TERRIBLE day!  A day of hostility, gloom and darkness, abuse, brutality, hatred and death.

Yet we call it “Good.”

This makes no sense.

It may actually seem foolish.   (1 Corinthians 1:18 “…For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness.”)

So why call it good?

Here's the BAD news:

We’re all sinners – Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Our sin separates us from God – Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Sin condemned us to death – Roman 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

Our forgiveness had a price. - Hebrews 9:22 “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sin.”

All BAD news so far, right?

But the GOOD news is….

The CROSS!!

Good Friday was the day that changed everything.

Christ’s death on the cross changed our relationship with God! – Ephesians 2:13 “But now, in Christ Jesus you who were once far off are made near, by the blood of Christ.”

The cross demonstrated God’s love for us – Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was for our forgiveness – Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many…”

His death gave us a great gift – the gift of life! Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We can have peace with God because of the cross! I Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous (that’s Jesus) for the unrighteous (that’s us) to bring you to God.”

Jesus paid the price! -Romans 4:25 - 5:1 “He (Christ) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So now what?

Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Sin had a price,

Jesus paid it!

“Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.”  Elvina M. Hall (1865)

THAT’S why we call it GOOD Friday!

And hold on … God wasn’t finished.  EASTER’S coming! Hallelujah!

Blessings,

Ruth