The Friday That Changed Everything

What happened on Easter Friday that changed everything?

Every Easter we remember that on a Friday many many years ago, Jesus suffered a horrible death: soldiers beat Him and put a crown of thorns on His head, people mocked and spit on Him, nails pierced his hands and feet into a wooden cross. The perfect Son of God did not deserve to die. He'd done nothing criminal. Why did this happen to Jesus? Why did he have to die?

The Problem of Sin

When God created Adam and Eve, they were perfect in every way, they had a wonderful relationship with God and they lived in a paradise, the Garden of Eden. God created them in His image so Adam and Ever were free to make decisions and choices. However God gave them an instruction: “But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Genesis 2:16-17). Genesis 3 describes how Satan came into the garden and lied and tempted Adam and Eve. They believed Satan’s lies instead of God warnings and disobeyed God by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This was the first ever sin committed by humans. Because God is holy and perfect, sin can’t be in his presence. God is also just, which means He does what is perfectly right and fair. This means that sin must be punished. God would be unjust if he let sin slide. Adam and Eve were punished for their sin when God banished them from the Garden of Eden. They were separated from God and lost their close relationship with Him. They also eventually experienced physical death just as God had warned.

We have all inherited this sin nature from Adam. It’s the desire in us to live for ourselves, to please ourselves not God. If we are honest, we know that we have all sinned and disobeyed God in the way we think, act or speak. The Bible says, "Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory" (Romans 3:23). We all deserve punishment, because we are all sinners. “The punishment for sin is death and separation from God forever.” (Romans 6:23). As a result of our own sin, if we are not made right with God, one day we too will experience physical death and eternal separation from God.

That Friday on the cross Jesus experienced the separation from God and punishment for sin that we deserve

On the cross, Jesus willingly took the punishment for our sins, experienced physical death and the pain of separation from God. Although He had committed no crime, He was executed as a criminal. It’s because He never sinned that he was the only one who could pay the price for our sins. He had no sin of his own to pay for, so His death paid for our sins. “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).

Why would Jesus die for Me?

Love. Jesus died because He loves you. Because God loves us He doesn't want us to be separated from him eternally by sin. Jesus, our Saviour, was God’s rescue plan. Jesus’s death is God’s way for us to be made right with Him again. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The fact that Jesus took our place shows God’s great love: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

I Believe. What do I do?

God loves us and doesn’t want us to be separated from Him forever, but He knew we’d never be able to save ourselves. So God sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us. Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and then die on a cross for our sins, taking the punishment we deserve. Jesus rose again three days later to show that He had defeated death, and now He is back in heaven. Believing Jesus is who he says he is, and that we can only be made right with God because of what Jesus did on the cros is the only way to get forgiveness for sins. Anyone who is sorry for their sins, believes in what Jesus did on the cross, and chooses to follow Him will be saved from their sins and will one day get to live in heaven with God forever.

You can be saved today

Have you asked Jesus to save you from your sins? If so, then you are already a part of God’s family. If you haven’t asked Him to save you from your sins and you want to do that, you can pray a prayer like this today: “Dear God, I'm sorry for going my own way and sinning against You. I deserve to die for my sins and be separated forever from You. But I believe Your perfect Son, Jesus, took the punishment for my sin by dying on the cross. Then He rose from the dead, showing that He won the victory over sin and death. I now turn from my sin and trust Jesus as my Savior from sin. I will follow the Lord Jesus now!”

If you would like further help or information, or if you made a commitment to the Lord through reading this, please let us know by contacting the PCF church office office@pcf.gen.nz

We'd love you to visit us at PCF on Sundays to learn more about following Jesus.