1 Peter 2:24 – “Who his own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed.”
A man went west, leaving his wife and son in New England . Soon
he succeeded and sent for his loved ones.
The wife’s heart leaped for joy.
Taking her boy to New York , she boarded
a Pacific steamer sailing for San
Francisco . The
ship had not been long out at sea before there was cry of “Fire! Fire!” On board was a powder magazine, and the
captain knew that the moment the fire reached the store, all on board would
perish. Lifeboats were crowded, but they
proved to be too small and few. Quickly
they were overcrowded. As the last boat
pushed away, the mother pleaded with the boatman to take her and the boy. “No, I dare not take another. If I do, we shall all sink,” was the
reply. Earnestly the woman continued to
plead, and at last the boatman consented to take one. Do you think the mother leaped into the boat
leaving her boy to perish with the others?
No, she seized him, gave him one last hug, and dropped him into the boat
with the wail, “My boy, if you live to see your father, tell him that I died in
your place.” And if he did live, do you
think he spoke contemptuously of the mother who went down into a watery grave
for him?
Such is the great truth of Christ’s substitutionary death on
Calvary. It was through the shedding of
His blood that He fulfilled every promise in Scripture and made a way for each
member of the human race to be reconciled with God. You see, man in his sinful state is at variance
with God. Romans 3:23 says it thus, “For
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” God has a certain standard of holiness to
maintain, and we in our sin, cannot measure up to that standard. So we are hopelessly lost.
But, as the mythical phoenix, hope rises from the ashes in
the person of Jesus Christ. If we get
what we deserve, we die – “For the wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23).” But the verse doesn’t stop there. Christ makes a way – “But the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Yes a free gift – no death – no condemnation – “There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Ro 8:1).” Paul continues the thought in Romans 10:13,
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That’s all it takes dear friend, just call
upon the name of the Lord – “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus Christ, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved (Ro 10:9).”
Yes, that was Christ’s purpose in coming to this earth –
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ransom for many (Mat 20:28).” And through His death, we are reconciled to
God – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more
then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him. For if, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by his life (Ro 5:8-10).”
"Lord, Thank you for the salvation we have through your substitutionary work on Calvary. And Lord, if any who read this don't know you as Saviour, please convict their hearts and save their souls. Amen."
