Today is, of course, Good Friday. But in what sense is Good Friday—good? How does the death of Jesus Christ result in something shared as “Good News?” Let’s reflect upon one of Paul’s concise statements about the gospel:
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15).
Jesus Christ did not come primarily to be our example, a moral leader, or even a great healer and Bible teacher. He is all of those things, but His primary purpose is clear: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
**Good Friday Makes Possible Our Salvation In Christ…
Good Friday is about our remembering this truth. And as we remember and ponder together, we do well to consider the three ways in which Christ “saves,” or what I often call “the three tenses of salvation.”
Christians can say, “I have been saved (past), I am being saved (present), and I will be saved (future).”
Christ saves us from the Penalty of Sin (Past)
Believers look back to a point when having believed the gospel and repented from sin; they surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord and King.
The Bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” We realize that we are sinners by nature and sinners by choice.
We understand that sin is a condition before it is an action.
We are born into the world already under judgment. Because we inherited a sinful nature from our first parents, Adam and Eve, we are already spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).
There is a sense in which Adam’s sin included me. When he sinned as head of the entire human race, I sinned with him. You could say that every man and woman was there in the Garden of Eden when Adam sinned and brought sin into the world. This is why I am born a sinner. As David writes in Psalm 51:5, “In sin did my mother conceive me.” That is, “I have been a sinner from the very beginning.”
Every offspring of Adam and Eve—including us—enters the world spiritually dead. We know that we will die a physical death one day, but if nothing changes before then, we will also remain spiritually dead. That means we will remain separated from God in a horrible place the Bible calls hell.
Jesus Christ died to take care of our spiritual death. He died on the cross that first Good Friday to save us from the penalty of our sins. He died on the cross to save us from condemnation and hell.
So Romans 3:23 is followed by the good news of Romans 3:24 and 25. Romans 3:23 says we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Still, Paul says in Romans 3:24-25 that Christians are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness.”
When Christ died on the cross, His death satisfied God’s wrath. Christ died in our place as our substitute, taking the penalty of our sin upon Himself and granting to us His righteousness.
As one writer puts it:
If God is ever to count us righteous, He will have to do it on the basis of something other than our own sinful record. He’ll have to do it on the basis of someone else’s record, someone who is standing as a substitute for us. That’s where faith in Jesus comes in…we are trusting that God will substitute Jesus’ record for ours, and therefore declare us to be righteous (Romans 3:22).
Greg Gilbert, What is the Gospel?
This is what Good Friday makes possible: Christ’s saving believers from the penalty of sin. Christ died to take the punishment we deserved. And His perfect record of obedience is credited to all who believe. He died to take care of our spiritual death and arose from the grave in a demonstration of the Heavenly Father’s acceptance of His atoning sacrifice.
Romans 4:25 says Christ “was delivered to death for our sin and raised for our justification.” He was raised from the dead so that we Christians would be justified, declared righteous, and forever declared “Not guilty” of all sin.
Here is why the gospel is so liberating and why we must preach it to ourselves every day. Christ Jesus has died for the penalty of sin. It is a past aspect of salvation with benefits in the future. I have been saved from the penalty of sin. I will never have to worry that sin will keep me from heaven. I am saved forever! We sing of this truth often in the hymn, “Before the Throne of God Above.”
When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
Good Friday is good because it means Christ has saved us from the penalty of sin.
Christ Saves us from the Power of Sin (Present)
While Christians are saved from the penalty of sin, the power of sin is still real. Christians still have a sinful nature and will battle sin until leaving this world. Good Friday reminds us that Jesus Christ died not only to save us from sin’s penalty but sin’s power.
Believers in Christ are new creations indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Consequently, sin no longer rules as a dominating force. At the same time, it is still there. We often say: “Sin remains, but it no longer reigns.”
And while we thank God that sin no longer reigns, it is still very much with us! In this very verse (1 Timothy 1:15), even the Apostle Paul writes in the present tense when referring to sinners: “of whom I am chief.” Not “I was,” but “I am.”
But Christ saves us from the power of sin. How? To the degree that we grow in Christ, to the degree that we walk by the Spirit, we have increasing measures of victory over the power of sin. This is the present aspect of salvation.
The theological word for this is sanctification. Sanctification is our ongoing growth in personal holiness. It is a continuing process.
When a person is genuinely saved, you will be able to tell over time because they are growing in personal holiness. There is a difference over time. Fruit is being borne. This person acts differently. This person is growing.
Christ Saves us from the Presence of Sin (Future)
This truth refers to the final state of salvation. So we can say, “I have been saved, I am being saved, and one day I will be saved.” I will be saved—future—from sin’s presence. Heaven is a place where sin is not present. Imagine what that will be like! No sin. No temptation. No struggle.
We look forward to that future state that commences with our Lord’s second coming. When Christ returns, He will usher in the future state where we will be fully saved from the very presence of sin.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
What About You?
- Which aspect of salvation–past, present, future–is most meaningful to you?
- How does the Holy Spirit empower Christians in their everyday lives?
- With whom can you share this good news about Good Friday?
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