A Call to Embrace the Salvation Offered Through Jesus’ Atonement
Listen to how the Bible describes the crucifixion of Christ, the Messiah:
Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. . . . And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief. . . .
Strangely enough, this vivid description of the crucifixion is not taken from one of the Gospels, but from Isaiah’s prophecy found in 53:4-7, 9-10 of his book, written some six centuries before that awful day.
Remembering Christ’s Love
The remembrance of this momentous occasion for us in America falls on Good Friday. Sadly, however, it is mostly not a day of reflection on the sacrifice of Christ any longer, and we simply go about the business of a regular day. Also, ironically, there was nothing in it that could be considered good for the Savior except for this one thing — He finished the task that had been given to Him by the Father — He completed the perfection of salvation for those who would become His followers.
It has been said that if anyone would question whether or not God hates sin, then all you need to do is just look at the darling of His eye hanging on that horrid cross. Oh, but if you want to know how much God really loves you, then likewise, you need to look at the cross where Jesus took your place, and the Father laid on Him “the iniquity of us all.”
But, of course, we know now that the story does not end with the precious body of Christ being removed from the cross by those who loved Him. Nor does it end with His burial in a tomb borrowed from a rich man. The whole basis of our celebration of Easter comes from one of the most documented events in all of history, and that is Christ’s defeat of death through His bodily resurrection on that first Easter morning.
One Question God Won’t Answer
Did you know that there is at least one question that even God cannot answer? There is, and it is found in the second chapter of Hebrews, verse three, when the writer of that great book pointedly asks, “How can we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” The reality is simply this: No one goes to hell only because he is a sinner. Hell is filled by those who reject Christ and his ultimate atonement for our sins. Either you accept the forgiveness found in the judgment that God placed on His own Son on that cross 2,000 years ago, or you will one day submit to your own eternal judgments for your sin. The choice is clear. There is no middle ground. If you do not choose Christ, you choose hell. Therefore, there can be no alternative means of coming to God other than through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
What about you? Have you answered this most important question for yourself? There is so much talk these days about overpopulation of the earth and how to decrease birth rates, etc. in order to not overtax the environment. At Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES), we are far more concerned about the overpopulation of hell. That is why we are joining with Christ followers everywhere to trace the pattern given to us in that last great earthly commission of Jesus found in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations….” The good news about the Good News is that if you are reading this, there is still time. However, you are not promised the next breath that might fill your lungs. So, there is simply no better time than now. What will your decision be? Your eternal destiny depends on your answer.
After a successful career as a lawyer and judge, Judge Phil Ginn retired as the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for the 24th Judicial District in North Carolina. Throughout his 22-year judicial career, he had the privilege of holding court in almost 50% of the county seats in North Carolina. Currently, Judge Ginn serves as the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (ses.edu) and is a regular contributor to Christianity.com and The Washington Times. Judge Ginn has also been featured on Fox News, CBN, Newsmax, Decision Magazine, The Christian Post, Townhall and many others.
