What is 'Good' about Good Friday?

Yesterday, one of my classmates who is not a Christian asked me this question, “What's the meaning of Good Friday?” I told him that Good Friday is a day on which many Christians worldwide remember the crucifixion (or death on the cross) of Jesus Christ . Then he asked me in surprise and disbelief, “if it is about the remembrance of Jesus' death on the cross, then what is good about it that calls for the name 'Good Friday'?”

Now that is the amazing wonder of God's love. Remember that popular Bible verse, “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). I told him that the death of Jesus on the cross is the highest expression of God's love for mankind. As the Bible puts it, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), also in Romans 5:8, it says, "But God has shown us how much he loves us---it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!”

So the good thing about 'Good Friday' is the realization of the truth that there is nothing good about me as a person, yet God had to make such a huge sacrifice of His most precious possession for my sake. Jesus suffered the spiritual agony of the dying sinner--lost, without salvation, without God, dying for his sins. Only in Jesus' case He was dying for my sins and your sins; the sins of the whole world. He was willing to go through all that so we could be forgiven and have eternal life. Such love!

.....But the story does not end there. “Three days later, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came at dawn to the tomb, and an angel appeared and rolled the stone away. When the Roman guards saw the angel, "they shook for fear of him, and became as dead men." But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid. ... Jesus is not here; for He is risen, as He said. And the angel showed the women where Jesus' body had lain. (Matthew 28:1-8). Halleluyah!

Today, that same power that rose Jesus from the dead is available to set you free from the bondage of sin and bring you to a relationship with God. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). Today, you can receive Him and His salvation if you believe, by simply and sincerely saying a prayer like this:

"Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always."

If you have just prayed this prayer or you have any questions about what you have just read please feel free to contact us on houseofvirtue@gmail.com