This is a story about a man that displayed incredible courage. A group of prisoners during World War II were put to work on an assignment under grueling conditions. The soldiers guarding them were brutal in their treatment; many of the captured were not even part of the enemy army.
One day the commander lined up the prisoners and stated that a shovel had been stolen and that the guilty party must step forward to be punished – which meant he would lose his life. After it was quiet for a moment, the commander shouted: “If someone doesn’t step forward, I will kill all of you!”
At that moment a missionary quietly moved forward. The other prisoners gasped, because they knew this man had not stolen the shovel. They understood he was willing to give his life in order to save the rest of them. The missionary was indeed killed, and the men never forgot the sacrificial love of this innocent man.
In a small way, this story describes what happened when Jesus Christ stepped forward to give His life for a lost world. The pure, innocent Son of God willingly took the death sentence for all of us so that we, who rightfully deserve death, might be free. Romans 3:23 says: “All have sinned.” Because “the wages of sin is death” ( Romans 6:23 ) and all have sinned, something special was required for every person who has ever lived.
If Jesus was only a man, He could not have paid for the sins of the entire world, however, Jesus was all the fullness of God in a man’s body. ( Colossians 2:9 ) Only one whose life is equal to all mankind could die for the sins of the human race. Because Jesus is the Creator and Author of all life, the life He laid down was more than equivalent to the lives of all people who would ever live. And since Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He is now able to administer the benefits of His gift of love to all who ask in faith.
O Lamb of God, my words are inadequate to express my love for you, who gave your life for me.
How could one man’s death pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind? John 3:16
Source: 365 Amazing Answers to Big Bible Questions devotional by Doug Batchelor
Article is from the 5th of October !