The Reason He Died

Let me state it plainly.  He died because He is love, and I am His beloved.  He did it for me.

Text for Today – John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I am sure there is no other verse in the Bible that is any plainer in its speech than the one chosen for our Text for Today.  Look at it closely.  God so loved the world.  Note, it did not say He loved the church, or His Own children, though He surely does.  He loved the world.  The world that rejected Him, despised Him, mocked Him, ridiculed Him, spat upon Him, beat and scourged Him; that’s the world God so loved.

And how much did He love that world?  He loved you and me so much, and in such a unique way, that He gave Jesus, His only begotten Son, so you and I could be saved.  All we have to do is believe.  And if we believe, we shall have eternal life and not perish.  Now that’s some awesome kind of love beyond what our natural minds can comprehend.

He was wounded and bruised for our transgressions and iniquities; not His own.  He was perfect, sinless, blameless, and flawless.  Yet he suffered for our sins so we could be freed from them, their guilt, their shame, and their punishment.  Oh, how thankful to our Lord we should be for His great sacrifice!

But there’s more.  The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; Him Who had perfect communion and fellowship with the Almighty.  He had lived in that perfect harmony and fellowship, that perfect unity for an eternity before the cross.  Then, on the cross, He was suddenly cut off from the presence of His Father.  I cannot begin to imagine the shock to His spiritual, soulish, or physical systems.  There is no wonder He gave up the ghost.  He was tormented so we could live a life free of fear, chaos, turmoil, and separation from God.  Oh, how thankful to our Lord we should be for His great sacrifice!

And still there’s more.  By His stripes we are healed.  In the New Testament we read that by His stripes we WERE healed.  It is a forever settled fact.  We are the healed in the kingdom of God.  As a member of His body, the price for our total healing has already been paid.  No sickness or disease has any right existing in or on our bodies.  He has redeemed us from the curse of the law; not part of the curse, but all of the curse.  Oh, how thankful to our Lord we should be for His great sacrifice!  Oh, and the reason – ME!

Manna for Today – 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-5; Psalm 107:20; John 1; Galatians 3:13-29