He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. — Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

Flogged… Bits of glass and rocks shredded the flesh of His back…. Crucified… Nailed to the rough wood of the cross and left hanging there to experience the excruciating pain of death by suffocation…

Why did Jesus willingly die such a violent death? The Bible says He went to the cross for one reason: to become the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. Each of us has sinned; each of us is guilty before God; each of us deserves to die. God is holy and just, and sin must be punished.

But Christ became our substitute; He died in our place. He was without sin, but all our sins were placed on Him, and He willingly took the punishment and death we deserve.

The Bible says,

Christ died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God. —1 Peter 3:18 (AMP).

Christ died for you! Why did He do this? He did it because He loves you, and He wants you to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Have you responded to His love?

Excerpted with permission from Wisdom for Each Day by Billy Graham.