GOOD FRIDAY-EASTER BY CHRISTIAN POSTS
APRIL 7, 2023 / BILLY SIGUDLA
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. This Christian holiday is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday.
For Christians, Good Friday is an important day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it of first importance that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, following what God had promised in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
On Good Friday, we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1John1:10) .
Easter follows it, the glorious celebration of the day Jesus was raised from the dead, heralding his victory over sin and death and pointing ahead to a future resurrection for all who are united to him by faith (Romans 6:5)
Why Is it called Good Friday?
Still, why call the day of Jesus death Good Friday instead of Bad Friday or something similar? Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or Sorrowful Friday. In English, the origin of the term Good is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, God’s Friday. Regardless of origin, the name Good Friday is apt because the suffering and death of Jesus, terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save His people from their sins.
In order for the good news of the gospel to be meaningful to us, we must first understand the bad news about our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of liberation only makes sense when we see how enslaved we are. In other words, it is important to understand and distinguish between the law and the gospel in Scripture. First of all, we need a law that will show us how hopeless our situation is; then the gospel of Jesus’ grace brings us relief and redemption. In the same way, Good Friday is good because no matter how awful that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin was to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect substitute for sacrifice, that forgiveness and redemption might be poured out on the nations. Without that awful day of suffering, mourning, and bloodshed on the cross, God could not have been both righteous and justifying those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26). Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be evil’s greatest triumph was actually the death knell in God’s gloriously good plan to redeem the world from slavery.
At the cross we see the confluence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. Psalm 86:10 sings of the day when righteousness and peace will kiss. The cross of Jesus is where it happened, where the requirements of God, His righteousness, coincided with His mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus willingly accepted our divine punishment, the result of God’s justice against sin. For the joy that was before Him (Hebrews 11:2)
Good Friday was the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. God’s grace. Look at the service I attend at my father’s church at the Northern Cape Baptist Convention in South Africa
SBS
Christian Posts by Billy Sigudla 