Demonstrating His Love

 

Jesus suffered, died and was resurrected.  His death had been by crucifixion.  On the crosses on either side of Him were two criminals - murderers and insurrectionists - blatantly insinuating Jesus had been just as guilty of heinous crimes as those men had been.

We know that Jesus, although fully man, was absolutely sinless because He was also  (and still is) fully God.  God is holy.  God is righteous.

So why would Jesus be willing to go through all that suffering and humiliation?

It was because of His great love for you, for me, and for all mankind.  We learn this from Romans 5:8,

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:  while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (NIV).

Stop and think on that for a bit.

This act of love was the ultimate action in which God proved His love for us.  He didn't wait for mankind to get better or to reach a given standard of conduct.  NO!  He knew we'd never achieve it.

Oh yes, there are multitudes of 'good living' people but still, if a person could be perfect in everything yet not believe in Jesus, this is the imperfection that ruins everything else.  God's word states in Romans 3:10 NIV,

"There is no one righteous, not even one..."

This means none of us can help ourselves into salvation and heaven.  This is why Jesus - the perfect, innocent sinless One - had to suffer for us.  He had to come to buy my pardon, to buy your pardon and to sanctify all those who accept Jesus as Savior.  We can now stand forgiven at the cross.

According to the prophecy given through the prophet Isaiah, Jesus Christ suffered for our transgression.  A transgression is a breach of law; a sin, a crime.

God's law is the Ten Commandments.  Have you been able to keep all ten?  Even if one of them is broken you are guilty of all (see James 2:10-20, esp v. 10).  Therefore, Christ died for you.

Isaiah also said Jesus suffered for our iniquities.  Iniquities show a lack of justice or righteousness.  Due to a lack of righteousness we transgress.  Therefore, we needed Christ to die for us.

Jesus took this punishment we deserved in order to atone for our souls, to pardon  us and buy us back for God.  Because of our lack of righeousness - He gave His righteousness to us, when we accept Him as our Savior.

If you scoop up every single last one of your sins - including 'white lies' people think are insignificant transgressions - and you put them all on Jesus, by admitting your sinfulness and sin, and accept Him as your Savior, letting Him take all that punishment instead of you, you exchange it all for His righteousness.

Romans 4:22 reads,

"And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness."

The faith our forefather Abraham had in God, imputed God's righeousness upon him.  It is the same for us today.

Synonyms for 'imputed' are:  "accounted to" or "credited to," among others.

It is quite an exchange, isn't it!  We give Jesus all the bad stuff - all our unrighteousness, while He credits to us His righteousness.  God's righteousness imputed to the believer is treated as if it belongs to that individual.  

Stemming from this, the separation from God created when you sinned, is now bridged and God accepts you into His holy presence (see Imputed Righteousness - Wikipedia).

Through all of this we are spiritually healed.

Not everyone wants to accept that mankind's sinful attitide is very much like a sheep's.  Sheep easily go astray to their own way.  Know this though, the LORD has laid on Jesus all of your iniquity.

This is something else to pause and ponder.  

God put all the punishment for all your sins and put them all on Jesus.  He did not deserve that punishment even one teeny-tiny iota!  You did!  I did!  Yet Jesus went through it all quietly because He loves us and wanted to prove it.  Love in action.

He loves you!

He took the punishment you deserved!  What will you do about it?

He wants to impute His righteousness upon you.  This was the work He did for you.

Turn from going your own way.  Go His way.  He's waiting.

                                                   ~ERC  April 2023~

Based on Navigator Ministeries, Book 1 - Knowing Jesus Christ, Chapter 2:  The Work of Jesus Christ, Questions 4-6:  His Work.  See also Romans 5:8.

Sing The Old Rugged Cross, along with Don Moen and The Power of the Cross, along with Keith and Kristyn Getty.