As the Easter season approaches, my thoughts are focused on a question
often voiced by children and young Christians: “If Jesus was such a good
person, why did he have to die?”
We who are established in
our faith know the answer. Jesus had a
mission. We are all sinners in need of saving grace. Jesus died to provide that saving grace. Not only was Jesus a “good person,” but he
was also God’s Son—blameless and sinless.
Only Jesus Christ could qualify as the perfect sacrifice able to redeem
us. By faith in Jesus Christ, and
acknowledgement of his sacrifice on our behalf, we are forgiven.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 (NLT)“As the Scriptures [Psalm 14:1-3] say, No one is righteous—not even one.” [and] “All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” Romans 3:10-12 (NLT)“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)“For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” Romans 3:25 (NLT)“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:1-17 (NLT)“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.” John 6:47 (NLT)
Jesus died so that we might live.
However, this is only the
first half of the story. There is
wonderful news to share. Jesus did not
remain dead. We read in the scriptures
the account of women (i.e., Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of
James) arriving at Jesus’ tomb to anoint his body with oils. Although alarmed,
the women are greeted with the wondrous news:
“He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.” Matthew 28:6 (NLT)“He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!” Mark 16:6 and Luke 24:6 (NLT)
Jesus lives!
This leads to another
question. “Why was Jesus raised from the
dead? Or we might ask, what was the
purpose of his resurrection?”
The answer is Blessed
Hope! What do I mean? Because Jesus Christ was raised from the
dead, Christians now have the Blessed Hope of eternal life through Christ. His resurrection provides the promise that
we, too, will rise from death to receive eternal life when Christ returns.
“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body had decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” Job 19:25-27 (NLT)
“For when the trumpet sounds those who have died will be raised to live forever.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 (NLT)“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT)“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4 (NLT)
Jesus lives so that death itself will die.
Did you ever have a phrase,
or perhaps a melody, that seems to roll endlessly through your thoughts? Ineffably sublime. Those were words included in an old hymn I
remember singing as a child. At the time
I had no clue what the words meant…they just sounded really cool and I liked
the tongue-twisty effect of singing them. I now realize that “ineffably” refers
to something that is so wonderful it is incapable of being expressed in
words. The word “sublime” is something
that has awe-inspiring beauty or grandeur.
Synonyms might include words such as glorious, splendid, superb, or resplendent. Permit me to close with some of the words
from this hymn because this same old hymn also tells the story of Blessed
Hope. “Crown Him with Many Crowns”—written
by Matthew Bridges, 1851, with the second stanza added by Godfrey Thring, 1874;
published in Hymns of Heritage & Hope, ACGC, Charlotte, NC (2001).
Crown Him with many
crowns, the Lamb upon His throne. Hark!
how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for
thee, and hail Him as thy matchless King thro’ all eternity.
Crown Him the Lord
of life, who triumphed o’er the grave, and rose victorious in the strife for
those He came to save. His glories now
we sing, who died, and rose on high, who died, eternal life to bring, and lives
that death may die.
Crown Him the Lord
of years, the potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably
sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail! for
Thou has died for me; Thy praise shall never, never fail thro’ all eternity.
Respectfully written and
submitted by:
Dotty Willmon, Resurrection
Christian
