Jesus took away our sins by dying on the cross. He willfully came forward to atone for our sin, all of us. He accepted the punishment for our sin so that we would be spared the wrath of God. Our only part in the process is to have faith in Him and the actions that he took on our behalf.
“23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” – Romans 3:23-25 (ESV)
“6For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ESV)
But wait, there is more to the scene. I tend to forget this part, even with likely the most quoted verse from Jesus, John 3:16. I tend to forget that Jesus was sent. God purposefully made the decision for Jesus to come to this world and die for me. Jesus was put forward to pacify the wrath of God on us. God intentionally sent His son for me and you. God gave the way out through Jesus.
We are filled with sin and deserve to die, yet God made a way for us to avoid that death, Jesus. All we have to do is believe, trust and have faith in Him and what He did for us, and we avoid the consequence of our sin, death. But we cannot forget that Jesus was sent by the Father, His Father, to pay the price for our sin. Yes, Jesus willingly came and obeyed, but we must also remember that He was put forward on our behalf.
There is so much for me to be thankful for in this world. I have a wonderful mother, a beautiful wife, and two great sons. Yet even with all of those things, the most important and valuable is my faith in Jesus and the thanks to Him and my Father in Heaven. Jesus came willingly after being put forward to atone for my sin. Thank you Jesus, LORD!
What do your remember of Jesus coming to save you? Do you only remember Jesus dying for our sins? What do you remember about how Jesus came, that He was put forward intentionally to pay for your sins?
