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The day began with an arrest enabled by a traitorous friend, followed by an illegal trial featuring dishonest testimony, which led to appearances before high officials who refused to see or act on truth, resulting in an unjust capital sentence for an excruciatingly painful and tortuous death on a Roman cross. The condemned man was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was completely innocent in every legal and moral respect.
Why did God allow this to happen, and how can that dark day be called "good"?
It happened because God is holy and we are not. All of us have broken God's perfect moral law and are rightly classified as sinners. (Rom. 3:23). God cannot tolerate sin, so sinners cannot live in His presence, which means we have no right, based on our record, to enter into Heaven when our time on earth is over. God is also just and requires that sin be punished. The Bible says sin causes spiritual death. (Rom. 6:23). The punishment for sinners is eternal separation from God in a place where evil rules and nothing good is ever experienced again. All of us deserve eternal punishment, unless God intervenes and makes a way for our sins to be forgiven. Thankfully, God loves us so much that He provided a means for our forgiveness in the person of His Son, Jesus, who was sent into the world in human form to live a sinless life and qualify as the perfect Lamb of God and be the holy sacrifice to take our punishment, redeem us from the bondage of sin, and provide a way for us to be restored to a healed relationship with God for all eternity. Good Friday is "good" because God did not leave us in a hopeless spiritual situation where we would have died as a result of our sins. He provided a way out for us by sending Jesus to die in our place. When He was on the cross, Jesus bore the sins of all mankind. "He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor. 5:21). On that awful day, the Great Exchange occurred: all of our sins were placed on Jesus (Isaiah 53:5), and He died for our sins, and His righteousness was credited to all who will put their faith and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as Lord. This was a divine act of God's grace; He treated Christ as we deserved to be treated in order that He might treat us as Jesus deserved to be treated. (p. 19, Growing Your Faith, by Jerry Bridges, Nav Press, 2004). Forgiveness of our sins and eternal salvation is a free gift from God. (Eph. 2:8-9). We can't earn it on our own. Jesus earned it for us. The humanly impossible payment for our sin has been made and the free gift of God's forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ is available to all who will put their faith in Him.
That is why we reverently and truly call that sad and somber day "Good" Friday.
Mark Penley
ServingHIM Home-to-Home Evangelism Director
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