Romans 3:23-27
The cross of Christ presents a dilemma. If God is loving and good, why would He let His Son endure the agony of crucifixion? From a human perspective, nothing about that seems loving. But by looking past the obvious, we’ll see an amazing demonstration of love.
To grasp what took place at the cross, we first need to understand that God is righteous and just. He does what’s right and never acts contrary to His nature or Word. On the other hand, mankind is sinful. God’s justice requires that a penalty be paid for sin. However, God is also merciful. So how could He exercise both justice and great mercy?
Before the foundation of the world, He already had the plan in place. So when the time was right, His sinless Son came to earth in human flesh to bear our sins (1 Peter 1:18-20). The Father placed on Him all our guilt and punishment. Since the Savior’s payment fully satisfied divine justice, sinful man could now be declared righteous. Justice punished sin, and mercy rescued sinners.
No matter who you are or what you’ve done, if you accept Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf, you will be saved. God’s goodness and love are proved by the cross. This was the sole plan that could save us, and God’s perfect Son was the only one qualified to give His life in our place. What’s more, Jesus did it willingly.