Today, around the world, millions of Christians are recognizing this day as “Good Friday.” It is the date on which we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as He willing allowed Himself to be placed on the cross, to suffer a torturous and humiliating death, reserved for only the worst of criminals. This is an important day in the life of every Christian, but the question but be asked: what is the significance of the death of a humble carpenter from small town in Israel nearly 2,000 years ago?
The death of Jesus is only significant if He was more than a humble carpenter. The scriptures teach the Jesus is God in flesh, the Son of God, second Person of the Trinity. Jesus has existed from eternity past and there was never a time in which He did not exist. He is the Creator of all things, and all things are in submission to Him. His death is significant because the God of the universe willingly died at the hands of His own creation.
His death is only significant if Jesus was both God and Man. Jesus Christ took on humanity at His incarnation. He took on the frailty of human life, with all its weaknesses and temptations. In doing so, He became our perfect representative, so that His life and death could represent us before the Father. If He were only God, He could not identify with our humanity and He could not be tempted in all ways that we were. His perfect obedience could not be accredited to us because it would be the obedience of the perfect God alone.
Christ’s death is only significant if He was virgin born. When Adam sinned in the garden, he tainted all of humanity. From that day forward, all mankind would be born under the curse of original sin. No man could ever be free from the stain of sin and all that he would do would be bound up in that transgression. No man would ever be seen as good in the eyes of the Father. Christ’s incarnation had to take place in the womb of a virgin so that the taint of sin could not be passed down to Him. Only a perfect sacrifice could be satisfactory to pay the price for our sins. Thus, Christ had to be virgin born for his death to mean anything.
Jesus’ death only has significance if He was perfect in His obedience to the law of God. Scripture teaches us that only a perfect and spotless lamb was acceptable in the eyes of the Father for the covering of sin. Any sacrificed offered that was blemished was rejected because it could not be seen as perfect in the eyes of God. As the God-Man, Jesus obeyed the laws of His Father without fail, in thought, word, and deed. Any failing in His obedience meant that His death would only be applicable to Himself. Christ’s sacrifice could not be applied to anyone if He was sinful in any measure. His death would have been exactly what He deserved for He would have rebelled against the Father. Therefore, for Christ to be our representative, He must have been without sin.
Christ’s sacrifice is only significant it was the preordained plan of God from eternity past. If God had created a world in which man would rebel, but He did not know it would occur, then He was not God. He would have been a fallible, if not powerful, being. If He was fallible, He would not be worthy of worship, for He would be no better than His creation. Yet, God always knew man would rebel in sin and it was always His plan to redeem sinners through the death and resurrection of His Son. All that God has revealed in Scripture demonstrates that He had always planned to take the sins of man upon Himself so that He may be glorified by redeeming and adopting wicked sinners into His family.
The death of Christ is only significant if it necessary to redeem mankind from the wrath of God. All men have sinned before the Father in thought, word and deed. All are trapped under the curse of sin and all that men do are the result of sin. As a righteous and holy Judge, God cannot turn a blind eye to sin. He must judge sin as a crime committed against His perfect nature. Therefore, all mankind is condemned before God and will be consigned to the fires of Hell. For man to be at peace with God, Jesus Christ had to die so that His sacrifice might be accounted as a propitiation for those whom He redeemed. As the perfect, spotless God-Man, Christ lived without sin, yet willingly died so that He might satisfy the righteous wrath of the Father. His death is only significant if He died to take the place of sinners who deserve the punishment He received.
His death is only significant if His perfect life could be applied to the life of the sinner. Even if Christ was punished on our behalf, it could only satisfy the punishment we deserve. It could not bring us into the throne room of God and bring us as adopted children into His family. Yet, Christ’s perfect obedience is transferred to the sinner when he or she is humbled in repentance and trusts in His completed work. God then sees the sinner in the light of Christ’s infinite righteousness. His death is only significant if we receive the benefit of His perfection.
Jesus’ death is only significant if He had power over the grave. Had Jesus died and remained in the tomb to this day, then He would have been powerless over death. Yet, Christ rose Himself from the grave. He proved His power over life and death, and He made the way for eternal life for all those who would repent and trust in Him. The significance of His death is directly tied to His victory over the grave.
The death of Jesus Christ is only significant if Christ loved His creation. Had Jesus not loved those whom the Father had given Him, then His death would have been one that was done unwillingly. Yet, because Christ loved us while we were yet sinners, He intentionally, purposefully came to earth with the intent to die for the sins of men. He demonstrated His love in that He chose of His own will to die for wicked rebels who hated Him with all their hearts. His death is significant because He did it in unfailing love so that He might redeem those who had no hope of salvation.
The significance of Good Friday is tied directly to the fact that the perfect God-Man, Jesus Christ, according to God’s prearranged plan, from eternity past, chose to take on human flesh, to live a life full of temptation, yet live perfectly without sin. He did so in order to be the perfect representative for sinful men so that He might die to take the punishment they rightly deserve. Christ demonstrated His perfect love in that, while innocent of any crime, He chose to be tried by sinners and condemned to death in the most wicked form of capital punishment. Christ then suffered, died and was buried, yet rose Himself from the grave, proving His power over sin and death. He did this so that sinners might see themselves in the light of God’s holiness as vile sinners deserving of Hell, repent and trust in His completed work, so that they might be forgiven. The significance of the cross is that God, in His great love for us, made a way of salvation for those who did not deserve it. That is why today is called Good Friday, because the perfectly good God died to redeem those who are by nature evil. So celebrate this day, remember what our Savior did for you, and then share this good news with those who desperately need to hear it.
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