Easter, Behind the Scenes

​The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gave us God’s side of what was really taking place when Jesus Christ died on that cross so long ago. 
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  
​2 Corinthians 5:18-19
 
Everything starts and ends with God, even our redemption.  That is just a fact.  Jesus Christ died on the cross because it was God the Father’s will to redeem mankind.  So, Christ was doing what was needed to reconcile the human race to the Father.  That is, He paid the penalty price for our sin thereby balancing the books.  We owed a debt we could not pay so He paid it for us.   God has also expunged the record, the charges have been dropped, the books have been balanced.  However, there remains one problem.  It takes more than a clean record to get into Heaven.  Matthew 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
 
So, you need to be righteous. Not everyone is as bad as they could be, but no one is righteous.   We’ve all done bad things or failed to do good when we could have.  So, again God stepped up and took care of the things that stand in our way.  But there is one other thing needed – everlasting life.  You cannot get into heaven without it.  That is the other thing Jesus Christ took care of at Easter.   
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
And with everlasting life we also receive His righteousness.  All that comes by God’s grace through faith!
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.    2 Corinthians 5:21
 
All the Lord requires is that we believe Him.  It is not enough to believe He exists; He wants us to believe what He says.  Take Him at His word and believe that Jesus Christ is the giver of everlasting life and believing He does give it to all who believe Him for it.