It was not a good Friday for the disciples. It was a terrible Friday. But they didn’t know God's glorious plan in it all. Paul explains it as well as any of the other Biblical writers when he writes: Jesus “was delivered over because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification.” (Romans 4:25)
Delivered to death as our substitute, to receive on Himself the Father’s full and undiluted wrath against us for our sins. And then He was raised on the first day of the week to secure for us full and undiluted justification with the Father – meaning God now declares us to have the righteousness of Christ Himself.
Now, mind you, this protection from the Father’s wrath and the attaching of Christ’s righteousness to us applies only to the faithful follower of Jesus. It does not apply to non-believers, whether Jew or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist, or any other faith or non-faith.
Nor does it apply to the “Christian-in-name-only.” You know the type who call themselves Christians, but you’d never know it by how they live and how they talk.
No, safety from the Father’s unquenchable wrath and to be declared by Him to be ‘righteous’ only apply to the obedient and faithful Christian.
But there is more yet that occurred on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Listen again to Paul: “For [Christ] rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins . . . 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” (Colossians 1:13-14, 21-23)
Notice the verb tenses. They’re all past tense – things already accomplished by God for the true Christian: Rescued from darkness. Transferred to the kingdom of Christ. Redemption. Forgiveness of sins . . . if we continue in the faith.
Good Friday did not seem good to the disciples. But they didn’t know Sunday was coming. And it might be that for some of you, Good Friday is not better or worse than any other Friday.
I hope that is not the case, but if it is, then I also hope you will consider this bit of good news:
If you’ve read this far, then you can have confidence that God is not finished with you. You are clearly still open to His truth. Otherwise, you’d have stopped reading at the first paragraph.
So, if you’ve read this far, then have confidence that God is still calling you to Himself. That He is still holding out His hand of welcome, redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life.
That means that for you, this Good Friday can be the best Friday of your life. I hope it will be. You only need to ask Him – right now, in the silence of your heart – to forgive your sins and make you His child. Then make plans to be baptized, get involved in a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church, and learn to obey His commandments. If you wish, contact me and I will try to help you to find a good church community.
And now, I ask the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that through His Spirit, He will grant you a blessed Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, and a new life in Christ Jesus! Amen
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