Amazing. Powerful. Love.
By Sheryl Boldt
Can you recall how heavy your worst sin felt before you confessed it to God and received forgiveness? Imagine if the crushing weight of all your sins (every sin you’ve ever committed) suddenly dropped on you.
Now, envision if all the world’s sins, every sin ever committed, were suddenly dumped on you. Are there any words that can describe how it would feel?
We’ll never come close to imagining how Jesus felt when the sins of the whole world came crashing upon Him on the cross. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24 ESV).
Jesus, Who never sinned and therefore never experienced the weight of even one sin (see 1 Peter 2:22), suddenly felt the load of every sin mankind ever committed, past, present and future. And, going above and beyond anything anyone has ever done for us, He not only bore our sins – He became our sin!
Jesus took the punishment for our sins so we could live in right relationship with God.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God the Father treated Jesus, the sinless Son of God, as if He was the one who had sinned. But even as the Father poured our sins onto His Son while Jesus hung on the cross, Jesus maintained His absolute holiness.
Theologian Charles Wesley described Christ’s sacrifice in the beloved hymn, “Amazing Love,” in the lyrics, “Amazing love, how can it be, that thou, my God, shouldst die for me.”
Jesus willingly went to the cross, bore our sins, became sin, gave up His life – and rose three days later – so that we could be set free from Satan’s control and live with Him for eternity.
As I prepared for this column, I read the final chapters about Jesus and His resurrection several times in all four Gospels. For the rest of this Easter season, I encourage you to do the same. As you read, circle the words “Jesus” and each pronoun that references Him. Next to each circled word, write a descriptive word or phrase. For example, next to the circled “Jesus” you could write something like, “The Son of God!” or “My Savior!”
Add comments, such as prayers, feelings or thoughts of gratitude, in the margins or blank spaces. Make each verse real to you. As you do this, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of God’s love for you and underscore Who it was Who suffered so much … for you.
Some find it hard to believe that Jesus rose from the grave. I find it even harder to believe that God could love us (an obstinate, rebellious people) enough to die for us.
Amazing love! Amazing. Powerful. Love.
Sheryl H. Boldt writes fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Her devotions appear in 36+ newspapers. She is also the author of the blog, www.TodayCanBeDifferent.net. Connect with her at [email protected].
