Vital Signs: Friday, April 18, 2025

Why Good Friday Is Truly Good

At first glance, Good Friday seems like the ultimate misnomer. If Jesus suffered and died on this day, why then is it called Good Friday?

But from another viewpoint, the death of Jesus was the greatest event in human history—and the reason is that through His death we can be saved. Only one thing separates us from God, and that is our sin. Sin is very serious because it means we are not only separated from God right now, but we will be separated from Him forever. As the Bible says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

How can the gulf between us and God be bridged? How can our sins be removed? We can’t do it ourselves; no matter how good we are, we can never measure up to God’s standard, which is perfection. Our only hope is for God to intervene and save us—and that is what happened on Good Friday! By His death on the cross, Jesus became the final sacrifice for our sins. We deserved to die for our sins—but Christ died in our place.

Yes, we call it Good Friday because on that day our salvation became a reality. What happened then was truly good—and Jesus did it out of love. The term "Good," as applied to Good Friday, is an Old English expression meaning holy. It's often called Holy Friday as well. Some also believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.”

Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day—all in accordance with what God had promised in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).

The cross is where we see the coming together of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. Psalm 85:10 sings of a day when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” The cross of Jesus is where that occurred—where God’s demands, His righteousness, coincided with His mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus willingly took our rightful punishment, the result of God’s judgment against sin.

Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s why Good Friday is so dark—and so good.

Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday, knowing it led to His resurrection, our salvation, and the beginning of God’s reign of righteousness and peace. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:2, “Who for the joy set before him endured the cross.”

Quote: “The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer: Lord, help me to have a Good Friday experience in my life—where I will be willing to accept Your free gift of salvation and have eternal fellowship with You. Amen.