He loves you all the way to the cross…
But He [was] wounded for our transgressions, [He was] bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace [was] upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:5-7 NKJV
Can you imagine how one person’s suffering can be good for us? Yet God’s amazing plan was to let the Messiah hurt and die in our place. The Bible says that the soul who sins will die. If we die without accepting Christ, then we have to pay for our own sins. But Jesus, wonderful Jesus, never sinned, so His soul was perfect and could hold all of our sins.
Yesterday we read about how much God loves us, which is why He sent Jesus to die for us.
But we aren’t the only things God loves: He also has a burning love for justice.
So how could God be a good God and punish wrongdoing, while still forgiving sinners who deserved to die? Jesus was the answer. Jesus would die in our place so sin could be punished and we could be forgiven at the same time.
If you ever want to know how much God loves you, then read this passage in Isaiah until it sinks in: He loves you all the way to the cross.