Christ died for our sins

At the crucifixion of Christ, there on the cross He hung between earth and heaven—a spectacle to men and angels with the tortures becoming more unendurable every moment. Death by crucifixion is known to include the sum total of all the suffering a body can experience: thirst, fever, open shame, long continual torment. Ordinarily, the noon hour is the brightest hour of the day, but on that day, darkness began to descend upon the earth at noon. Nature itself, unable to bear the scene, withdrew its light, and the heavens became black. This darkness had an immediate effect upon the onlookers. There were no more jeers and taunts. People began to slip away silently, leaving Christ alone to drink to the deepest depths the dregs of suffering and humiliation.

This was followed by yet a greater horror, for instead of a joyful communion with God, there was a cry of distress. Christ found Himself utterly deserted by both man and God. Even today, His cry of “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” brings a shudder of terror. There was apparently one thing that God had held back from His Son Jesus, lest even He should be unable to bear it. That was that the terrible truth came to Christ only in the last hours of darkness. As the sun withdrew its shining, so the presence of God was being withdrawn also. Prior to that time, though sometimes forsaken of men, He could always turn in confidence to His heavenly Father. But now even God had forsaken Him, though only for a moment; and the reason is clear: at that moment the sin of the world with all its hideousness rested upon Christ. He became sin; For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Corinthians 5:21). There we have the answer to what happened by the death of Christ. Christ was made sin for us. He took upon Him the sin of the world, including yours and mine. Christ, by the grace of God tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9); thus, He received the judgment that fell upon sin. As the end was drawing near at last on that day, the loss of blood produced a thirst that is beyond description. Jesus cried, “I thirst.” The One who hung on the cross thirsted. He is the same One Who now satisfies our souls’ thirst—If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink (John 7:37). When the final moment came, Christ bowed His head in death, saying as He died, “It is finished!” Salvation had been completed. It was a salvation, not of works to be earned by penances, pilgrimages or fastings. Salvation is forever a finished work. We need not complete it by our own efforts. There is nothing more to do, but to accept it. There is no need to struggle and to labor, but to take quietly what God has prepared as infinite Sacrifice. So did Christ die for our salvation. So was He raised again three days and nights later in glorious triumph to die no more. Therefore, he says, because i live, ye shall live also (John 14:19).

God has done all that is possible to bring you eternal life. He paid the full price of punishment for your sins. It is now your turn to accept Him. God sees your mind and soul. He knows all of your thoughts. If you sincerely want to accept Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into your life, you will be reborn. You will become a child of God, and God will become your Father. Will you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior now if you haven’t already done so?

179 – Christ died for our sins