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On this Good Friday of 2022 just ahead of Easter, Christians all over the world commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ — and, soon, on Sunday, Jesus' rising from the dead in fulfillment of scripture.
Jesus willingly entered into his crucifixion, with the apostle Paul calling Christ’s death, burial and resurrection of "first importance" to Christianity’s saving gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
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Dr. Frank Turek, a North Carolina-based faculty member at Summit Ministries and the president of CrossExamined.org, told Fox News Digital that Christians may be tempted to consider Good Friday a "bleak" day — but that it's actually very "good news" for believers.
Here's why.
Dr. Frank Turek of Summit Ministries shared thoughts about Good Friday with Fox News Digital. He's also spoken to Fox News Channel's religion correspondent Lauren Green for her "Lighthouse Faith" series.
‘Liberating’ implications of Good Friday
Turek said that despite "intense" personal and political divisions today, we can all agree on one thing: Something is "terribly wrong" in the world today.
"Pain, suffering, injustice and death affect us all at some point because we live in a broken world," he said. "And we live in a broken world because we are all personally broken."
"The innocent and perfect Jesus took the punishment you and I deserve on himself, so that we could be forgiven of our moral wrongs and be reconciled to God."
Yes, he said — all of us have committed "moral wrongs." And "the truth is we are all fallen."
Turek pointed out that we "rarely notice" the evil we ourselves do. "We may call our political opponents hypocrites — but we don’t even live up to our own standards, much less God’s," he noted. "We are all guilty of something."
The season of Lent this year — which began March 2, 2022 — just ended on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Christians worldwide spent that period of time preparing for Jesus' death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday — a fulfillment of holy scripture.
It is only after we admit our own personal guilt that we can fathom the "liberating and eternal" implications of Good Friday, said Turek. "That’s when the innocent and perfect Jesus took the punishment you and I deserve on himself, so that we could be forgiven of our moral wrongs and be reconciled to God," he said.
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Each of us may be tempted to ask, "Why do I need to be forgiven and reconciled to God?" or "Can’t God just grade me on a curve?" But we need forgiveness and reconciliation because God is "infinitely just," Turek said.
"Without God as the moral standard, every behavior would just be a matter of opinion — even murder, rape and child abuse."
"If He didn’t punish moral wrongs, then He wouldn’t be the infinite standard of justice," he said. "We know this standard of justice exists because without it, we couldn’t recognize any of the injustices we complain about — all the wrongs in our society, or any evil that has been done to us personally."
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Turek explained that logically, injustice cannot exist unless justice exists; and justice can’t exist unless God exists. "Without God as the moral standard, every behavior would just be a matter of opinion," he said, "even murder, rape and child abuse."
Redeeming power of the cross
Turek noted the redeeming meaning of the cross. "Thankfully, God is also the infinite standard of love, which compels Him to find a way to allow unjust people like you and me to go unpunished," he said.
"He does that by punishing Jesus of Nazareth — who volunteers for the mission — in our place."
"Just before he went to the cross, Jesus also declared that there’s no greater love than ‘to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’" as revealed in John 15:13, said Dr. Frank Turek. (iStock)
"The Son of Man ‘did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His live as ransom for many,’" said Turek, referencing Mark 10:45.
"Just before he went to the cross, Jesus also declared that there’s no greater love than ‘to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,’" as revealed in John 15:13, he continued.
"Jesus was that perfectly good person in our place. He’s done all the work for us and offers his life for ours as a gift."
On the original Good Friday, Jesus suffered and died not to turn us into "nice people" — but "forgiven people," Turek emphasized. "Jesus isn’t merely a moral example like other religious leaders. Jesus is our substitute."
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He also said, "Since we've already committed moral crimes, we can’t work our way to God by being a ‘good person.’ Jesus was that perfectly good person in our place. He’s done all the work for us and offers his life for ours as a gift."
"The only way to avoid justice is to accept the grace Jesus provides by putting your trust in him," said Dr. Frank Turek.
Turek explained that when we accept this gift, "we are not only forgiven, but given the righteousness of Christ."
We are "new creations" adopted into the family of God "by grace, apart from works" as revealed in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 and Ephesians 2:8, said Turek.
Without this grace we will each get the justice we are due, he noted. "If you think about your life and every hidden thing you’ve ever done, do you really want justice from God?"
When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday, said Turek, we are "liberated from our past, present and future wrongs."
"Justice is getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve," he said.
"The only way to avoid justice is to accept the grace Jesus provides by putting your trust in him."
"Justice is getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve."
Turek underscored that when we accept Jesus’ sacrifice, we are "liberated from our past, present and future wrongs by making forgiveness and eternal life possible," as explained in John 3:16, which reads, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
"That’s why Good Friday is truly ‘good,’" said Turek. "In fact, it’s the best news ever."
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In addition to his work with Summit Ministries and CrossExamined.org, Turek is also co-author of the book, "Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God."
