SCRIPTURE:

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:46 AMP)

DEVOTIONAL:

Jesus came to the earth to be the substitute for man and the sacrifice to pay for man’s sin. He took man’s place. Now, physical death alone wouldn’t have done any good because if that’s the case, Abel died and his blood would’ve taken care of it. But it didn’t because human blood wasn’t sufficient, the sacrifice had to be spotless blood. Only Jesus had spotless blood. 

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” Having said this, He breathed His last. {Luke 23:42–43, 46 AMP) Verse 46 in the King James Version says it this way, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” 

Jesus gave up the ghost—He’s separated from God. How could Jesus die? He could only die physically because He died spiritually. If He hadn’t died spiritually they couldn’t have killed Him. They couldn’t have done it. He had to die spiritually first before the physical death of his body could occur. 

You see He never sinned. Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate, asking for the body of Jesus so that he could bury it in his tomb. Pilate said, “Is He dead already? They told him, “Yes.” Why? Because Jesus gave up the ghost. No one took His life from Him—He gave it up in obedience to the Father, and for you and me. This is why, if you are born again, you don’t need to fear death or where you will spend eternity!

PRAYER:

Dear God, thank you that I don’t have to fear death because I know I will spend eternity with You. I am so grateful that Jesus paid my death sentence, so I wouldn’t have to and my sins are forgiven. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Dr. Bill Winston’s book, Redeemed from Death. To order this uplifting book, click here.

Listen to this devotional here.