Three Crosses

On the first Good Friday, three crosses with a man fixed to each jutted out of the rock of the Skull. These were racked with pain as they hung, dying, between heaven and earth. A closer look, however, reveals that they were three very different men dying in three distinct ways. One was dying in sin, one was dying to sin, and the other was dying for sin. The first two were revolutionaries whose experience tells the ultimate story of the human race. Either we die in our sins, or we die to our sins. There is no third option. The one in the middle is in a completely different category.

His name is Jesus, and although he was sentenced to die, his death is distinct from the others in important ways. First, he was condemned for crimes he had not done. Second, his death was tied to human sin and rebellion. He died for sin—not his own—but for the sins of human beings that were laid on him so that he became responsible for them as if they were his own. Third, his death paid the penalty for those sins in full so that those who believe in him are delivered from sin's penalty and power. His death was powerfully efficacious, and it provided atonement for sins committed by a world of sinners who had gone astray.

The man who continued to insult Jesus died in his sin because he failed to see who Jesus really was. The man who changed his mind and looked in faith died to his sin because he received God`s grace extended to him in Christ. Three crosses, three men, and three results.

Three results that capture the essence of Good Friday for us all.

Respond in Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for sending your Son to die in my place. I was blind to who you are and to my own need until you graciously opened my eyes. Now I want to live for you the rest of my days to the praise of your grace. Amen.

Renee James