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Good Friday means so much more to me today than it did two decades ago.
Don’t get me wrong.
What it represented to me then was wonderful.
Christ shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins so that, through faith, I could live forever in Heaven with Him (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8–9).
But that wasn’t the only astonishing thing that happened at the cross on Good Friday.
You might remember that there were two thieves who were also being crucified alongside Jesus that day (Matt. 27:38; Luke 23:32–55).
But what if I told you that they weren’t the only two people who were crucified with Christ that day?
That’s right.
There were many, many more who were crucified with Christ.
I’m not trying to rewrite history here.
Instead, I want to communicate with you a spiritual mystery, that—when you understand it—just might blow your mind.
It blew my mind when I first realized it, and it still stuns me every time I think about it.
God’s Word tells us that everyone who has believed in (into) Jesus was crucified with Him (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:3).
That means the old you in Adam—who you were before you believed into Jesus—is dead and gone.
If you have been wrongly believing that there is a good you and a bad you, then this just might be the best news you will ever hear and believe (own it for yourself).
The good news is that the bad old you died with Christ and the brand-new flawless you was born again in His resurrection! (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:4–6; Col. 2:12–13; 3:1–4; 1 Pet. 1:3).
I will say it again, just in case you missed it: The bad old you no longer exists!
There is only one you, and that you is pure, righteous, and holy in Christ Jesus!
I hope this news will enrich your perspective on Good Friday.
People ultimately act like who they believe they are, so why don’t you believe today that you are pure, righteous, and holy—completely flawless—in Christ Jesus?
You will love the difference it makes in your life!
If Jesus were to personally speak to you what I just shared in this post, it might sound something like this:
“My dearest darling, when you believed into Me, you were joined to My life.”
“My life is eternal life.”
“I have always been and will always be.”
“The instant you became a partaker in My divine nature, you gained a new spiritual past, present, and future.”
“You gained My past, present, and future.”
“This means that the old you was there in Me when I was crucified on the cross.”
“The old you was literally crucified with Me.”
“The dead old you was there in Me when I was buried in the tomb.”
“And the brand-new you was born again through My resurrection.”
“Isn’t that fantastic!”
“The new you was there in Me when I walked out of that tomb.”
“And the new you was there in Me forty days after My resurrection, when I was taken up into heaven in a cloud and seated at the right hand of My Father.”
“Right now, you are literally seated with Me in heaven!”
“Your old self was crucified with Me so that you would be freed from sin.”
“Your new self is dead to (separated from) sin’s controlling power and alive to (joined together with) Me.”
“This means that, before you were born again, you didn’t have any choice but to sin.”
“Whatever is not from faith is sin.”
“Now that you are free to choose, you can walk by faith and not by sight.”
“Through My death, I made you completely compatible—holy, blameless, and beyond reproach—with Me.”
“You were raised up with Me through faith and made alive together with Me.”
“And now that you have been raised up with Me, keep seeking the things above, where I am, seated at the right hand of God.”
“For the old you has died and the new you is hidden with Me in God.”
“When I am revealed, you will also be revealed because you are in Me forevermore.”
Inspired by John 3:16; 1 John 1:2; 5:11, 20; 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:6–7; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 2:20; Acts 1:9; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; Ephesians 2:4–6; Colossians 2:12–13; 1 Peter 1:3; 2:24; Romans 6:11, 13; 14:23; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 1:22; 3:1–4; Ephesians 1:13.
This post contains an excerpt from my book, Fifty Days in His Pursuing Love Devotional: Getting to Know the One Who Loved You First and Loves You Most.
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If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to check out all of my books and my video series based on my first devotional.
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