Sunday 04:11:10

The Highest Price for the Greatest Gift Did Jesus suffer and die for you personally? Is this the way we should understand the suffering and death of Christ? Or should we understand Jesus’ sacrifice only in the context of the whole world? In John 3:16, the giving of Christ is God’s demonstration of His love for the world. We can all agree that Christ’s suffering and death was, among other things, His love for mankind. The question is, really, are we individually, personally valued by God? Or is His love only for the whole of us, not personally, not individually? Let’s look at the understanding of one of the early believers who witnessed Christ first hand. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Paul was captured by this fact: Christ “loved me and gave himself for me.” He took the act of Christ’s sacrifice very personally. He said, “He loved me. He gave himself for me.” This is the way we are to understand Christ’s suffering and death. His suffering and death has to do with me. They are about Christ’s love for me personally. It was my sin that cut me off from God, not sin in general. It was my hard-heartedness. I was lost and perishing. When it came to my standing with God, I deserved divine justice, not mercy. All I can do is plead for mercy. Then I see Christ suffering and dying. For whom? The scriptures say: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25b) “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28) And I ask, “can I be one of the many for whom he gave his life”? Can I be one of his friends for whom he laid down his life? Can I be part of the church for whom he gave himself up? His answer is yes. “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43b) My heart is swayed. I am amazed by his great love for me. The thought that he would willingly give up his perfect life for my far-from-perfect attempt at life is more than I can fathom. The depth and beauty of what he did on my behalf overwhelms me. I am in awe of his great love and mercy for me. I say, like Paul, “He loved me and gave himself for me”. He paid the highest price possible to give me the greatest gift possible. What is that? It is the gift he prayed for at the end of his life: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory.” John 17:24a We have seen enough that our lives have been forever changed by Christ’s amazing love. We are now caught up in his cause. But the best is yet to come. He died to secure this for us. That is the love of Christ.