FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Faith Essentials

Violent— As intense and excessive as most Hollywood movies are, they don’t fully capture the horrific scenes depicting Christ’s final hours. Beaten with a whip that had pieces of bone and metal on the end “his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14). After that, Jesus was forced to carry his own cross, an inhuman instrument of death that makes hanging, the electric chair, firing squad, and lethal injection seem mild in comparison. With nails through His hands and feet, Jesus hung in excruciating pain for hours. Vital— The society in which we live may tolerate and propagate sin, but make no mistake about it, God hates it. He despises sin so much that He can’t even look at it (Habakkuk 1:13). Our transgressions are such an abomination that the sacrifice of animals can’t touch them. It took the death of His only Son to pay the ransom and save us from an eternity in Hell. Because of His pierced body, we have been redeemed, bought back from being a slave to sin. Thanks to His shed blood, we have been justified, our records have been cleared, our slates have been wiped clean. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Vicarious— It should have been you and me on that cross. Instead, it was the only perfect man that ever lived. One of my favorite children’s books is Sid Fleischman’s Newbery medal-winning The Whipping Boy. One of the main characters is Horace, spoiled son of the King, nicknamed “Prince Brat.” Though constantly misbehaving, Horace can’t be disciplined because no one is to place a hand on the prince. Therefore, a poor orphaned boy becomes “the whipping boy,” beaten several times a day for the Prince’s wrongdoing. Jesus, the supreme whipping boy, not only took the whipping, He ultimately died on our behalf. Voluntary— Earlier, I mentioned that angry Jews plotted to kill Jesus. They even tried to push Him over a cliff after He preached in

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