God Gave Us Jesus
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But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
– Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
What does sin look like?
It is a stain on a brand-new sweater.
A tear on the canvas after the last stroke has been brushed on.
A mark in red scrawled all over a report card.
Sin is a chasm between a good and holy God and the people He created in His image.
It slunk in the Garden at the beginning of time and worked its way through generations, destroying relationships, perfection, and the intimacy we were made for.
From that day humankind fell, we have been trying to get back into the good graces of God, thinking if we try hard enough or offer the right words or gift, which will get us into heaven.
Sin separates us from the love of God, for a holy God cannot stand the sight of sin, and we are stained in it. But God, being rich in mercy and full of grace, closed the gap and gave us Jesus Christ. His perfect life, always pointing to the Father, led to the Cross where He bore all shame and sin on His body, covering for us with what should have been our punishment. He was pierced for our transgressions, and by his wounds, we are healed.
Jesus came to save us from a fate we could never measure up to. We can get all theological, but when it comes down to this: we needed a match for what God required, and that match was His perfect Son, perfectly willing and able to bear the brunt of our sin on His shoulders to make us right with God again.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5, NIV)
Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the Word made flesh to walk among us. Now, for those of us who understand His sacrifice and that God gave us a saving gift to simply receive, we are grafted into the family of God and when He looks at us, He sees His Son’s blood stretched over our sin. We are safe with God because we receive the Father’s love through the death and resurrection of His Son.
Sin crushes. But Christ redeems.
Thank God for making a way, for making us new.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Is there a sin you currently struggle with?
2. Do you believe that Jesus’ death already and truly paid for that sin?
3. Spend time thanking and praising God for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
