Good Friday

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8)
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​Today Christians around the world celebrate Good Friday.  This is the day, two-thousand years ago, when Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross.  The question is why call it good Friday?  This is because the Bible tells us that we are all sinners and, therefore, deserving of God’s wrath and judgement.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  When we look at the Ten Commandments, not one person (aside from Christ) has ever kept them all perfectly.  “Honor your mother and father” (5th commandment).  “Thou shall not lie” (9th commandment).  “Thou shall not covet” (10th commandment).  Who has never disrespected or disobeyed their parents?  Who has never told a little white lie (if there was such a thing)?  Who has never coveted (desired) something that belonged to someone else?  And that’s only three out of ten.  What about the other seven?  How do you measure up?  We are all sinners.  As a result, scripture tells us that “the wages of sin is death”—eternal death, eternal damnation from God (Rom. 6:23).  We all deserve the wrath of God because we have all sinned.  But here’s the good news.  God’s word also tells us that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”--Christ died in our place.  Jesus, who had never sinned, paid the penalty for our sins, for those who turn from their sins and put their faith in Christ.  What does that look like?  The Bible tells us that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [of your life and choose to follow Him] and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).  Escaping from the wrath and condemnation of God is simply a matter of believing Christ died for your sins and then choosing to following him all the days of your life.  All because of Christ’s death on the cross two-thousand years ago.  Hence, good Friday.  Not good for him, but good for us.