You and I are free today from the chains of sin, sickness, and disease because Jesus Christ became our Substitute upon the Cross of Calvary (Isa. 53).
Jesus paid a price we could not pay.
There is nothing you or I could have done to gain our citizenship in Heaven. Our citizenship in Heaven was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. It took Jesus’ shed blood to buy our redemption.
The Cross of Calvary is real. It is not a myth or a fairy tale. Jesus shed His blood for our redemption when He hung upon that Cross so many years ago. And now the Cross is both a warning to those who refuse to believe and a blessing to those who recognize that it stands for the grace of God.
We do not merit God’s favor and grace. All of God’s blessings were bought and paid for when Jesus became our substitute upon the Cross of Calvary. God’s grace and mercy are now ours to freely receive.
If it were not for the Cross and Jesus’ shed blood, we would have received justice. We would have had to pay the price for our own sins—something we could never do. But instead of receiving justice, we have received abundant mercy and grace because Jesus paid the price for us!
In our judicial system, sometimes the judge has the ability to be lenient and show mercy, or if need be, he can penalize an offender to the full limits of the law. Many times offenders will throw themselves on the mercy of the court, hoping to receive mercy instead of judgment.
I thank God that the Judge of all the earth, God Almighty, has given unlimited mercy to those who come to the Cross—the symbol of Jesus’ redemption to all of mankind.
The Judge of all the earth has already extended mercy to you. Because of Jesus, all you have to do is accept His mercy. When you know Jesus and you are born again, you can stand before God fresh and clean because of the Cross of Calvary.
You see, because of Jesus’ death on the Cross, we have passed from death to life (1 John 3:14). And every Christian has the hope that when he leaves this life, he goes to be with Jesus in Heaven and to begin his life there.
Because Jesus chose to become the Supreme Sacrifice for our sins and to die and shed His blood, you and I have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). This is the greatest story ever told to mankind. Someone—God’s own Son—has taken our place and paid our debt of sin. And now we are free!
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
Rev. Hagin began preparing for his call to ministry—a ministry that now spans 50 years—at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Tampa, Florida.
In his early years of ministry, Rev. Hagin was an associate pastor and traveling evangelist. Later, he went on to organize and develop RHEMA Bible Training Centers in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and in other countries around the world.
Kenneth W. Hagin’s array of responsibilities also includes International Director of RHEMA Ministerial Association International. He hosts the annual A Call to Arms® Men’s Conference, and with his wife, Lynette, cohosts RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program, and Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program broadcast throughout the United States. They also conduct Living Faith Crusades, spreading the message of faith and healing around the world.
Recognizing the lateness of the hour before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev. Hagin has expanded his speaking schedule beyond his regular pastoral duties. To fulfill the urgent call of God to prepare the Church for a deeper experience of His Presence, Rev. Hagin delivers messages that reveal key spiritual truths about faith, healing, and other vital subjects. He ministers with a strong healing anointing, and his ministry leads the Body of Christ into a greater experience of the glory of God!
Kenneth W. Hagin and his wife live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of the late Kenneth E. Hagin.