1 Peter 3:18 KJV
[18] “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
Peter takes us back to the cross in this verse by reminding us that Jesus suffered and died once for the sins of humanity and was the supreme sacrifice for man’s sins. In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was shed regularly, but it could not save man from sin. It would only put the sin debt off for another year. The suffering and death of Jesus on the cross paid the debt in full. Another blood sacrifice will never be needed because Jesus paid it all at Calvary!
We can shout because He not only died once and for all, but He died for the unjust. We do not deserve this great salvation. We should be grateful that a just God would give His Son to die for us. We should never get over the truth that Christ loved us enough to take our punishment and pay our sin debt. We were unjust and deserved to die in our sins and go to Hell.
Why was Jesus willing to die for our sins? The answer is in the verse before us. He died for the unjust so that He could bring us to God. It reminds me of the old song written by Bro. Squire Parsons, “He Came to Me.” In the song, he speaks of how the gulf separating me from God was too vast to cross, so when I could not get to God, He came to me. It is a blessing to know that our salvation has been purchased by the blood of the Lamb, and we now have access to the Father.
Christ was put to death in the flesh, but He did not stay dead! He arose and is alive today at the right hand of the Father. He intercedes on our behalf, and believers have the blessed assurance that we will be with the Father one day. We must never forget how wonderful our salvation is. God help us never to take for granted that we are redeemed. We should always remember that Christ died for us, and we are unworthy of salvation.