The atonement on the cross - 17 July 2023
By Mims Turley
Bible text(s)
1 Peter 2
The Bible says that Jesus, the only Son of God, came to save the world from sin and to reconcile us with God. Jesus took extreme punishment on the cross to pay for our sin.
These events happened because of God’s love for us. “This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.” (1 John 4:10)
Here on earth, Jesus was completely human – physically, emotionally and spiritually. The crucifixion story describes his suffering. He experienced, among other things, that painful emotion of rejection. In Matthew 26, we read that one of his disciples, the one called Judas Iscariot, rejected him by betraying him. Jesus is also denied by the disciple Peter. Don’t we also reject him sometimes by our behaviour?
Jesus also suffered physically on the cross. The gospels do not give all the bloody details of a crucifixion, but there is enough information to make one realise that it was a cruel death. On that cross, Jesus also experienced the worst spiritual suffering possible, when his Father turned away from him and he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46b, NIV) Fortunately, this separation did not last forever, because Jesus later exclaimed: “Father! In your hands I place my spirit!” (Luke 23:46) After these words, Jesus was reunited with his Father.
Jesus’ suffering on the cross was for us. He went through it so that, one day, we will see God face to face – what we know now is only partial (1 Corinthians 13:12). Maybe your life is difficult, but if you accept that his death on the cross has reconciled you to God, you can be sure that God will never abandon you. So live to the fullest, because Jesus has paid your debt and reconciled you with God. You are now in Christ as he is also in you. Read again John 15.
I believe in Jesus Christ who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried …
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you also paid for my sins because you love me. Amen
