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This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
While man has moments of seeming goodness, every man is born with the sinful nature. Selfishness, pride, strife, and envy are but a few of the things that permeate humanity. While everyone can easily find fault in the habits of others, no one is without sin. The same person who busies himself condemning others might be surprised to find himself the topic of interest in someone else’s conversation.
The Scripture says that the wages of sin is death. Since we are all guilty of sin, we are therefore all worthy of death, and the day is coming when our righteous Lord shall come and execute judgment on the wicked.
But while righteousness is one of the chief characteristics of our God, another is mercy. It is by this that we have found grace in His sight. Because God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked, He provided a way for us to be reconciled unto Him, having our sins forgiven and our guilt removed. Still, that provision had to come according to another of God’s eternal laws: there is no remission without the shedding of blood. To this end the Son of God came, to meet that requirement, and shed His own blood, that we might have eternal life through Him.
As the chief priests and Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus of Nazareth, Caiaphas, the high priest, said that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Little did they know the gravity of his words, for had they known the hidden wisdom of God, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Nevertheless, God kept them from the knowledge of His Son, that our salvation might be secured.
So Jesus was lifted from the earth on a cross, and bore the sins of the whole world. He shed His blood so that we could walk in newness of life. He bore our shame so that we might receive a name better than of sons and daughters. He endured the pain that we might be made free from the law of sin and death.
Since the Passover season is upon us, let us remember Christ’s great sacrifice. He knew that the sufferings He was to endure could not compare to the glory He shares with the Father. As we, through the Lord’s Supper, remember the blood that was shed and the body that was broken for us, we are reminded of the pit of our sin, the peace we now enjoy, and the glory that lies ahead. What love! The cross He bore should have been mine. The nails should have pinned me to the tree. It was I who had earned the pain and suffering that He endured. I owe Him a life debt. I must therefore cry out with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
He has delivered us from sin and death, if only we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus. This is the gift of God to us. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.