Good Friday: By His Wound We are Healed

Good Friday

Christian churches around the world will be celebrating Good Friday today, April 10th, commemorating the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Christian liturgical calendar, Good Friday precedes Easter or "Resurrection" Sunday, and as WOA churches and fellowships celebrate during this holy time, they meditate on the deep meaning behind the Lord's suffering on the cross.

So why do we call Good Friday "good"? And what does the event of the cross have to do with us today? The answer to these question lies at the heart of our understanding of the gospel, God's "good news."

At first glance, it is difficult to see anything "good" about what happened on that day, over two thousand years ago. As a result of man's sinfulness, arrogance and hatred, Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God was crucified and murdered by those He had come to save.

But at the same time, the Lord Jesus, in full submission to the will of His Father in heaven, willingly took up the cross, revealing the full magnitude of God's love and opening the way of salvation for fallen humanity to return to a right relationship with God.

Through His death on the cross, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God atoned for the sins of His people once for all (Hebrews 7:27), restoring peace with God and offering the free gift of righteousness to all who believe and put their faith in Him (Romans 3:22).

As we reflect on the cross during Good Friday, it is also a time for self-examination and repentance, trusting that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

May God prepare the hearts of His people as they meditate on the cross, leading them to know its meaning and share in the glorious joy of His Resurrection.