Part 1: The Cross
The Easter season reminds us that B.E.A.U.T.Y. is made possible for us because of two very significant events in history. The first event is the extreme circumstances of the suffering and death of the innocent Son of God, Jesus. His suffering and death on the cross, and His shed blood for all mankind, provided a way for us to attain freedom now and for all eternity.
The scriptures from the Bible on the previous page reveal this truth to us. The amplified version of Ephesians 1:7 reads:
"In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace."
Below are a few quotes from Biblical scholars that give us insight into these scriptures concerning the amazing reality and extent of the redemption and forgiveness that the shed blood of Jesus makes available to us.
“…In, or by, whom (Jesus) we have redemption — By price and by power, (we)are bought and delivered from the guilt and dominion of sin, the tyranny of Satan, and the final displeasure and wrath of God. Through his blood — Shed for these purposes; or through what he hath done and suffered; having undertaken the great and awful work of making an atonement for us by the sacrifice of himself, by which we obtain, what is an introduction to all the other blessings here mentioned, the forgiveness of sins — For, being pardoned, God’s wrath is removed from us; we are taken into his favour; adopted into his family; born of his Spirit; love him who hath thus first loved us; and, through this love, become holy, and without blame before him.”
(Benson Commentary)
“…our Lord Himself describes His atonement—in Matthew 20:28, as the “giving His life a ransom for many,” (redemption) in Matthew 26:28, as “the shedding of His blood for the forgiveness of sins.”
(Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)
“The forgiveness of sins - We obtain through his (Jesus) blood, or through the atonement which he has made, the forgiveness of sins. We are not to suppose that this is all the benefit which we receive from his death, or that this is all that constitutes redemption. It is the main, and perhaps the most important thing. But we also obtain the hope of heaven, the influences of the Holy Spirit, grace to guide us and to support us in trial, peace in death, and perhaps many more benefits. Still "forgiveness" is so prominent and important, that the apostle has mentioned that as if it were all.”
(Barnes' Notes on the Bible)
Romans 3: 23-25 says, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith." Here we understand that the suffering and death of Jesus to afford forgiveness and redemption, is God’s gift to us, and received by us, through faith.
May we daily recognize, implement, and be grateful for such an Easter gift as we pray to be the BEAUTY that God designed us to be, and that the world needs us to be.
Cross Picture by Christina Puta @vegesblue via Unsplash