Read: Isaiah 53:5-8
The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (v. 6)
What is the central message of the Christian faith? The apostle Paul summarized his preaching and teaching ministry as “the word of the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18). Later in that same epistle he says the message of the gospel is “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). Many things are important to the Christian faith, but only one is central—the message of the cross, the purpose and meaning of the death of Jesus Christ.
The Bible offers several reasons for Christ’s death. On one level, Jesus’s death provides an example of how believers should endure suffering (1 Peter 2:21). It demonstrates the love of God (Rom. 5:8). The death of Christ also reminds us that God himself knows what it’s like to suffer and die. “I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the cross,” admits pastor John Stott. “In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?” (The Cross of Christ). And the cross is where God defeated the forces of evil (see Col. 2:14-15).
But as with the gospel, so with the cross; many things are important, one is central. “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). On the cross, God provided a substitute to take our place and bear our sin. The substitute is Jesus Christ, the sinless one, whose perfect sacrifice satisfies the law’s just demand. That’s the heart of the gospel. Do you hold it in your heart?
As you pray, thank Jesus for doing what you cannot do.
About the Author
Rev. David Bast
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, includingWhy Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
