Calvary's Blessing

Have you ever pondered on the blessing that Calvary is? Have you ever questioned where you would be right now if it wasn't for the sacrifice of love that was made on Calvary? Have you ever accepted the free gift of salvation that was made possible through the incredible grace that was shed upon us because of Calvary?

Calvary was not a very joyful scene when it occurred. The location was actually called "The Place of a Skull." It was a place of grief and sorrow. Many people witnessed the bruised and bloody Jesus nailed to a wooden cross. He had been beaten, whipped, and mocked. He hung between earth and heaven, struggling to take every last breath. A crown of thorns was pressed into His skull. His faithful followers were grief-stricken as they watched their gentle leader suffer at the hands of the merciless Roman soldiers. It did not seem fair that He Who had done nothing wrong was being crucified along with two criminals. The Jewish religious leaders continued to mock Jesus as He hung on the cross. Darkness covered the sky in the middle of the day and there was an earthquake. The veil of the temple was ripped in two pieces. Jesus finally cried with a loud voice and He died. A Roman soldier stuck a spear in the side of Jesus, and blood and water ran out. It was finished.

What was accomplished by Jesus dying on the cross? We were reconciled with God. Romans 5:10 reads, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Colossians 1:20 says, “And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

The cross was where Christ Jesus bore our sins. Sin separated us from God. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, our sins were taken care of. 1 John 2:2 declares, "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 4:10 says, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." AI Copilot says, "In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, "propitiation" refers to the act of appeasing or satisfying the wrath of God, particularly through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ." In Mark 10:45, Jesus said, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads, "For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

Calvary showed God's love for us. Romans 5:7-8 says, "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I have heard it said that it wasn't the nails that held Jesus on the cross, it was love. He could have come off the cross easily, but He chose to hang there until death. Jesus understood that His Father's plan was for our good.

How do you accept the free gift of salvation? You must realize that you are a sinner in need of God's grace. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." You also need to find the source of salvation. In Acts 4:10-12 we read, " Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Some steps for salvation are found in Romans 10:9 and Acts 2:38. Romans 10:9 declares, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Acts 2:38 reads, " Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

I will leave you with the words to this song titled "Calvary's Blessing." The Lord gave me this song years ago and I hope it will be a blessing to you.

He wore a crown of thorns as He struggled up the hill

The pain from the stripes on His back He could feel

His beard was plucked out from His face

He suffered public disgrace

But in His amazing grace

He still stood there in my place

He knew that I would be lost

And needed to be saved

How could I walk away

From such a display

Of mercy, love, and grace

That took place on that day

Because He stood there despised

I now stand justified

Because He took my shame

I'm now called by His name

Now I'm redeemed and free

Because of that day on Calvary

I want to thank You Lord

For the love You've shown to me

I know that I'm unworthy

Of what You did on Calvary

Since You came and died

I am truly alive

I thank you for revealing to me

This great mystery

It is no longer me

But Christ in me, the Hope of Glory!