7) To Cancel The Legal Demands of The Law Against Us

Christ Suffered and Died . . .

To Cancel The Legal Demands of The Law Against Us

And you, who were dead in your trespasses . . .

God made alive together with Him,

having forgiven us all our trespasses,

by canceling the record of debt that stood

against us with its legal demands.

This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:13

What a folly it is to think that our good deeds may one day outweigh our bad deeds. It is folly for two reasons. 

First, our good deeds are not that good. Our good deeds are defective, because we don’t honor God in every way as we do them. Do we do our good deeds in joyful dependence on God with a view to making known His supreme worth? Our good deeds are often flavored with selfishness and self preservation. God says in the Bible that our good works are like filthy rags! (Isaiah 64:6)

The second reason it is folly to hope in good deeds is because there is no Scripture in any faith, where God has attempted to list the scoring system of how many and what type of good deeds will outweigh bad deeds, and by how much amount. Do we earn 5 points by giving alms to the poor and 15 points when we help an old lady or a blind man cross a busy road? Does telling a lie make you lose 20 points or 40 points or 2 points? The bottom line is that there is no Scripture anywhere in any faith, where God has listed the exact calculation by which He will balance out the good and bad deeds of each individual. So, it is a serious deception to base our salvation on  'karma' or list of good deeds.

So, if God loves us and wants us to be cleansed of our bad deeds, what do we depend on? 

If we are going to be saved from the consequences of our bad deeds, it will not be because they weighed less than our good deeds. God has a totally different way of saving sinners. There is no hope in our deeds. We cannot earn brownie points before God's eyes by being goody goody!!

There is no salvation by balancing the records; of our good and bad deeds. There is only salvation by canceling the records. 

The record of our bad deeds (including our defective good deeds), along with the just penalties that each deserves, must be blotted out—not balanced. This is what Christ suffered and died to accomplish. The cancellation happened when the record of our deeds was “nailed to the cross” (Colossians 2:13). 

How was this damning record of my bad deeds( including defective good deeds) nailed to the cross? Parchment was not nailed to the cross. Christ was. So Christ became my damning record of bad (and good) deeds. He endured my damnation. He put my salvation on a totally different footing. He is my only hope. Faith in Christ is my only way to God. 

Lets pray: 

"Dear Father, thank You for making a way for me to be totally forgiven. My sins were not just pushed under the carpet and forgotten. They were nailed to the cross on which Your Son took my punishment. Father, I thank You for saving me from the foolishness that my good works are good enough to save me. My salvation is purely because of the sacrifice of Jesus. There is no other name, under Heaven, by which a man can be saved, but the name of Jesus. Thank You very much. Amen."

Lets worship: with the song In Christ alone by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend   

The so-far mentioned reasons for why Christ suffered and died can be followed at http://knowing-christ.blogspot.com/:-

6) To show His own love for us

5) To show Grace for sinners

4) To achieve His own resurrection from the dead

3) To learn obedience and be perfected

2) To please His own Heavenly Father

1) To absorb the wrath of God

Be blessed,

Meghna and Ashish

(inspired by 'Fifty reasons why He came to die' by author John Piper)

6) To Show His Own Love For Us

Christ Suffered and Died . . .

To Show His Own Love For Us

Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, 

a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:2

Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.

Ephesians 5:25

[He] loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 

The death of Christ is not only the demonstration of God’s love (John 3:16), it is also the supreme expression of Christ’s own love for all who receive it as their treasure. 

The early witnesses who suffered most for being Christians were captured by this fact: "Christ loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). They took the self-giving act of Christ’s sacrifice very personally. They said, “He loved me. He gave Himself for me.” Surely this is the way we should understand the sufferings and death of Christ. They have to do with me. They are about Christ’s love for me personally. I am lost and perishing. It is my sin that cuts me off from God, not sin in general. It is my hard-heartedness and spiritual numbness that demeans the worth of Christ. When it comes to salvation, I have forfeited all claims on justice. All I can do is plead for God's mercy.

Then, I see Christ suffering and dying. For whom? It says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

And I ask, Am I among the “many”? Can I be one of His “friends”? May I belong to the church”?  

 And I hear the answer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). 

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:43). 

 “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

 “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

My heart is swayed, and I embrace the beauty and bounty of Christ as my treasure. And there flows into my heart this great reality—the love of Christ for me. So I say with those early witnesses, “He loved me and gave himself for me.”

And what do I mean, when I speak of these things? I mean that He has paid the highest price possible to give me the greatest possible gift. And what is that greatest gift? It is the gift He prayed for: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory” (John 17:24). He died to secure eternal life, a life where we would live and be with Him, for all eternity. That is the love of Christ. Believe it and receive it - by faith today! 

Let's pray: 

"Dear Father, Thank You for the love that Jesus has for me. Although He loves all mankind in general, I know deep in my heart, that He loves me personally. Thank You for such personal love that You have demonstrated to me. Many say they are my friends but none would die shedding his/her blood to pay for the sins that I have committed against You. I rejoice in the amazing love that Jesus demonstrated by dying for me. Please pour out that love into my heart, today, to love You and others. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen."

Let's worship with song:  My Lord what love is this (Amazing love) by Graham Kendrick 

Be blessed,

Meghna and Ashish

(inspired by 'Fifty reasons why He came to die' by author John Piper)

5) To Show Grace for Sinners

Christ Suffered and Died . . .

To Show Grace to Sinners

One will scarcely die for a righteous person—

though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

Romans 5:7-8

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of our trespasses,

according to the riches of His grace.

Ephesians 1:7 

The measure of God’s love for us can be grasped by understanding two aspects. 

Firstly, the degree of His sacrifice which saved us from the penalty of our sin. 

And secondly, the degree of our unworthiness, despite which He saved us.

We can hear the measure of His sacrifice in the words, “He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).  Some people like to assume that by being born into the human race, people automatically become children of God. That, dear beloved, is a fallacy. Human beings are creations of God, just like other animals, birds, plants and all other creation around us. Humans beget humans just like cows beget cows and grasshoppers beget grasshoppers. So similarly, when God begets, He begets God. So, when Jesus is called  'begotten Son of God', it is a profound status.  Jesus is not a creation of God like you and me, but God Himself.

When we add to this consideration that God chose to lead His Son to the horrific death by crucifixion in order to save us, it becomes clear that the sacrifice that the Father and the Son made was indescribably great—even infinite, especially, when we consider the distance between the divine and the human.

 The measure of His love for us increases still more, when we consider our unworthiness. “Perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). 

We deserved divine punishment, not divine sacrifice. However, our debt is so great, that only a divine sacrifice could pay it.

There is only one explanation for God’s sacrifice for us. It is not us. It is “the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). It is all free. It is not a response to our worthiness. It is the overflow of His infinite worth. He gave us Grace - which means unmerited favor (Grace could be spelt as God's-Riches-At-Christ's-Expense). Grace is the kindness shown to us by God, when we don't deserve to be shown kindness. There is nothing we have done nor can ever do to earn this priceless favor of grace; but simply receive it by faith. 

Lets pray: 

"Dear Father, thank You for Your Grace to me. I deserved punishment. But You sent Your only Son, Jesus, to absorb that punishment. You have wiped away my past and given me new abundant life. Thank You for that immense Grace to me. Please help me to walk with You all the days of my life. In Jesus Name I pray,  Amen."

Lets worship with song Amazing Grace :

Be blessed,

Meghna and Ashish

(inspired by 'Fifty reasons why He came to die' by author John Piper)

4) To Achieve His Own Resurrection From the Dead

Christ Suffered and Died . . .

To Achieve His Own Resurrection From the Dead

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 

equip you with everything good that you may do his will.

Hebrews 13:20-21

The death of Christ did not merely precede His resurrection— it was the price that obtained it. That’s why Hebrews 13:20 says that God brought Him from the dead “by the blood of the eternal covenant.”

The “blood of the eternal covenant” is the blood of Jesus. As He said, “This is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28). What the death of Christ accomplished was so full and so perfect that the resurrection was the reward and vindication of Christ’s achievement in death.

The wrath of God was satisfied with the suffering and death of Jesus. The holy curse against sin was fully absorbed. The obedience of Christ was completed to the fullest measure. Theprice of forgiveness was totally paid. The righteousness of God was completely vindicated. All that was left to accomplish was the public  declaration of God’s endorsement. This He gave by raising Jesus from the dead.

The point is that the resurrection proves that the death of Jesus is an all-sufficient price. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then His death was a failure, God did not vindicate His sin-bearing achievement, and we are still in our sins. But in fact “Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Romans 6:4). For “by the blood of the eternal covenant,” the Great Shepherd has been raised and lives forever. Glory be to our God!

Lets pray: 

"Father, I thank You for sealing an eternal covenant with me through the blood of Your Son. Thank You for raising Jesus from the dead to endorse publicly that His death was a perfect atonement. Thank You for forgiveness of all my sins by Jesus's death and giving me new life through His resurrection. Amen." 

Be blessed,

Meghna and Ashish

(inspired by 'Fifty reasons why He came to die' by author John Piper)

3) To Learn Obedience and Be Perfected

Christ Suffered and Died . . .

To Learn Obedience and Be Perfected

Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.

H e b r e w s 5 : 8

For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

H e b r e w s 2 : 1 0

The Bible explicitly points that He (Christ) was “without sin.” “In every respect [Christ] has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). This is the consistent teaching of the Bible. Christ was sinless. Although He was the divine Son of God, He  submitted Himself to be made in human likeness (Philippians 2:7). He was human, and well acquainted with all our temptations, appetites and physical weaknesses. He was subjected to hunger (Matthew 21:18); anger and grief (Mark 3:5); and pain (Matthew 17:12). But His heart was perfectly in love with God, and He acted consistently with that love: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).

Therefore, when the Bible says that Jesus “learned obedience through what He suffered,” it doesn’t mean that He learned to stop disobeying. It means that with each new trial He learned in practice—and in pain—what it means to obey. When it says that He was “made perfect through suffering,” it doesn’t mean that He was gradually getting rid of defects. It means that He was gradually fulfilling the perfect righteousness that He had to have in order to save us.

The point is this: If the Son of God had gone from incarnation to the cross without a life of temptation and pain to test His righteousness and His love, He would not have been a suitable Savior for fallen man. His suffering not only absorbed the wrath of God. It also fulfilled His true humanity and made Him able to call us brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:17).

Lets pray: 

"Dear Father, thank You for Jesus who is both God and man. He knows my weakness. He faced those same temptations and sufferings I face, yet He did not sin against You. He went through the suffering to obey You in order to save me. Thank You Jesus for being obedient to Father and standing strong amidst temptations to be a perfect Man in order to offer Your sinless self to save a sinner like me. Amen."

Be blessed,

Meghna and Ashish

(inspired by 'Fifty reasons why He came to die' by author John Piper)

2) To Please His Heavenly Father

Christ Suffered and Died . . .

To Please His Heavenly Father

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush Him; He has put Him to grief.

Isaiah 53:10 

Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:2

Jesus did not wrestle His angry Father to the floor of heaven and take the whip out of His hand.  Jesus's death was not the begrudging consent of God to be lenient to sinners. What Jesus did when He suffered and died, was the Father’s idea. It was a breathtaking strategy, conceived even before creation, as God saw and planned the history of the world. That is why the Bible speaks of God’s “purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”

(2 Timothy 1:9).

Already in the Jewish Scriptures, the plan was unfolding. 700 years prior to Jesus's birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold the sufferings of the Messiah, the One who was to take the place of sinners. He said that the Messiah would be “smitten by God” in our place. 

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities. . . .

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

But what is most astonishing about this substitution of Christ for sinners is that it was God’s idea. Christ did not intrude on God’s plan to punish sinners. God planned for Him to be there. As the Old Testament prophet Isaiah says, “It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10).

On one hand, the suffering of Christ is an outpouring of God’s wrath because of sin. But on the other hand, Christ’s suffering is a beautiful act of submission and obedience to the will of the Father. So Christ cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). And yet the Bible says that the suffering of Christ was a fragrance to God. “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”

(Ephesians 5:2).

Oh, that we might worship the terrible wonder of the love of God! It is not sentimental. It is not simple. For our sake God did the impossible: He poured out His wrath on His own Son— whose submission made Him infinitely unworthy to receive it. Yet the Son’s very willingness to receive His Father's wrath against mankind, was precious in God’s sight. 

Let's pray: "Father, I thank You for Jesus who willingly submitted to Your will. I thank You, Jesus, for obeying the will of God and fulfilling all that was required to pay for my wretched sin. I thank You, Father for that grace which You have shown me through Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit for revealing this Truth to me. Like Jesus, I too want to walk in obedience to Your perfect will, Father. I know Your plans are excellent and for the good of me and others. Please lead me in Your wisdom. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen. "

Be blessed,

Meghna and Ashish

(inspired by 'Fifty reasons why He came to die' by author John Piper)