Thursday, March 28, 2013
2 Corinthians 5:21
Good Friday is a great day. There has been a lot of speculation as to why we call this day “Good Friday”. Someone suggested that it was originally called “God Friday” and changed to good over the years. Like, “God be with ye” changed to good bye. I suppose that’s a possibility.
Could it be that "Good Friday" is good because God is good? All of God’s goodness and love and mercy and grace are clearly seen in this sacrificial act.
The main reason I believe it's good is because of all the good it brings into my life. That’s what 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains to us. This one verse is a very clear and concise explanation of how Jesus dying a brutal death on the cross becomes good. Spurgeon called this verse the heart of the Gospel. He writes, “It is the gospel in one verse. Everything you need to know about how to go to heaven can be found in these 23 words. There is an amazing simplicity here–21 words of only one syllable, one word of two syllables, and one word (righteousness) of three syllables. It could hardly be simpler than this–yet whole books could be written on the meaning of each phrase.”
Let me offer three reasons why Good Friday is good from this one verse:
1) Good Friday is good because Jesus had no sin. Some versions read, “He knew no sin”. Jesus, like the sacrificial lambs in the Old Testament, was without blemish. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. A sinner cannot take away sins. Jesus knew all about sin but never sinned. He lived in a sinful world but was never stained by sin. I see goodness in Friday’s tragedy because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.
2) Good Friday is good because Jesus became sin for us. Jesus literally became sin on the cross. Isaiah writes this good news, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Imagine all your sins being written in one book. Every rotten thought you’ve had. Every unkind word you have said. Every evil imagination and every lustful thought. Add in all your bad behavior from birth to the present. And you have to carry this book around all the time. You can never lay it down. It becomes heavier and heavier. It’s a burden. Now imagine Christ on the cross taking your book on himself and giving you forgiveness and freedom. But not only your book, Christ bears the weight of billions and billions of books. Jesus became sin for us. Good Friday is good because Jesus took our place and he took our penalty.
3) Good Friday is good because through Jesus I become the righteousness of God. My record is clear. My sins are gone. I’m at peace with God. This is the great exchange. He bore my sin and I am set free. He died so I could live. He suffered so I could be redeemed. He was made sin, so I could be made righteous. He cried, “It is finished” so I could start. He went thirsty so I could drink deeply. He was forsaken so I could be accepted. What an exchange. That’s not just good, that’s great!
I hope you memorize 2 Corinthians 5:21. It really is the heart of the Gospel. It really does explain why Good Friday is good.
One man said, “On Good Friday man was at his worst while God was at his best.”
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