It is absolutely astounding to contemplate what Christ did for us in becoming a human being and going to the cross to die as a sacrifice for our sins.
Isaiah chapter 53 gives us a picture of what Christ did for us:
4 Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried; yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed, 6 all of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. 7 He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:4-7 (New Americans Standard Bible)
Here is what we are guilty of:
We esteemed him stricken and afflicted him.
We, all of us, have gone astray like sheep.
Each of us has turned to his own way.
Here is what Christ did for us, according to verses 4 and 5:
He bore our griefs.
He carried our sorrows.
He was pierced through for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
The chastening for our well-being fell upon him.
The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.
At the end of verse 5, the prophet delivers the most magnificent line any human being will ever hear: “By his scourging, we are healed.”
What’s even more amazing is that through the process of being oppressed and afflicted for sin he did not commit, he did not even open his mouth, “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, he did not open his mouth.”
Romans chapter 5 verses 1-11 give us more of an explanation of what Christ’s actions and the justification that is brought by them mean for us:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our heats through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; through perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Romans 5:1-11 (New American Standard Bible)
We are justified by our faith in Christ as the savior who came and died to take away our sins. And in that justification by faith, we are granted peace with God through Jesus.
Peace with God is an extraordinary thing. If you peruse the Old Testament, you will find that God’s anger was constantly burning against his people because they were constantly sinning and disobeying his commands. We, of course, still sin today, but we are extended the opportunity to have peace with God through Jesus.
In verse 6, he emphasizes that we could not save ourselves. We were “helpless,” and Christ came to rescue all of us in the fulness of time.
We wouldn’t even think to die for a righteous person, as verse 7 says, but Christ did more than that — he died for the ungodly, who are all of us. And he did it while we were yet sinners.
The wrath of God is real; it’s as real today as it was in the Old Testament. But verse 9 tells it plainly: “Having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him.”
Through his son, Jesus, God reached out to us while we were enemies to him as sinners. And now we, acknowledging that we are sinners who cannot save ourselves, get the opportunity to put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who paid the ultimate price for us all through death on a cross and was raised three days later. What an unfathomable opportunity!
