Romans 4:25 (ESV)
Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our
justification.
What makes a father good? Importantly, it’s being a man the
family can trust because he keeps his promises. Unfortunately, many don’t know
what a father is, let alone a good father. So not surprisingly some have
difficulty with God, our Father. How can God be a good Father if he was willing
to send his Son off to die?
The answer: God the Father is good because he keeps his
promises. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and brought upon
the world the curse of death, our Father promised a Savior to rescue the world
from the condemnation people deserved because of sin.
Throughout history, God kept his promise of a Savior,
proving that he is someone we can trust—a good Father. He delivered Noah
through a worldwide flood. He granted offspring to an old man named Abraham and
his barren wife. He sustained the world wrecked by famine through Joseph, who
became second-in-command to Pharaoh of Egypt. He delivered the Israelites from
slavery and kept them alive in the wilderness for forty years by his servant
Moses. He returned a remnant of Israelites from 70 years in exile, even after
they had forsaken him.
And finally, God delivered his Son. Conceived by the Holy
Spirit, Jesus was delivered by the virgin Mary. On Palm Sunday, he was
delivered into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. On Maundy Thursday, he was
delivered into the hands of the authorities by a kiss from Judas. On Good
Friday, he was delivered over to death at the hands of Roman soldiers.
All this Jesus did for us. God demands we live a perfect
life, but accepts the perfect life that Jesus lived on our behalf. God demands
payment for sin but counts Jesus’ innocent death in our place. On the cross,
Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). And to show that he is fully
satisfied, God delivered Jesus from death to life. Our Father does not count
our sin against us. Because of what Jesus has done, God declares that we are
not guilty.
God our Father is good!
Dear Lord, thank you for being our good Father, whom we can
trust because You keep Your promises. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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