Who Gave Himself For Me

February 24

who gave himself for me

Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: 

nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: 

and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the 

faith of the Son of God, who loved me, 

and gave himself for me.

Jesus was our substitute.   He lived, suffered, and died in our stead.   Our sins were imputed to Him,    punished in Him,   and removed by Him.

God had cursed us, but Jesus gave Himself to bear the curse in our stead;  every threatening of the law was executed on Him; every one of the claims of justice was answered by Him; and now God is just and yet the justifier of every one that believeth in Jesus.

The debt-book is crossed, the hand-writing that was against us is destroyed, and every foe is overcome.

Do we think of the law we have broken,

of the justice we have provoked,

of the hell we have deserved?

Let us also think,  Jesus gave himself for me.

He satisfied justice, fulfilled the law, and brought glory to God, in my nature, name, and stead; and God is infinitely more honoured by the life and death of my substitute, then he could  have been either by my obedience had I never sinned, or by my punishing me for sin.

This is our rejoicing, that God can be just in justifying who believe in Jesus.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Jesus is the chiefest good;

He hath saved us by His blood.

Let us value nought but Him;

Nothing else deserves esteem.

Jesus, when stern Justice said,

“Man his life has forfeited,

Vengeance follows my decree,”

Cried, “Inflict it all on me.”

James Smith