Nailed to the cross for me
“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross.”
Acts 2:23 (NIV)
There are many different kinds of nails. According to Google there are 29 different types of nails. Just to name a few, there are common nails, coiled nails, concrete nails, roofing nails, square boat nails, horseshoe nails, ring shank nails, and finishing nails. The nails that are used to hold things together are very important. When one or more come loose something can fall apart. Nails are very valuable.
But the most important nails of all were the ones our precious Lord endured. The pain that our Lord and Saviour suffered is very hard to imagine. With His sacrifice we have the gift of salvation. The nails that Jesus endured were part of his sacrifice to erase the sin of the world, as we read in John 1:29, ‘The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”’ This was the time for Jesus’ self-sacrificing work to be completed, and later the nail scars served to identify Him to his disciples.
What a precious and generous gift God gave. That familiar verse in John 3:16 is a testament to God’s love, ‘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.’ Yes, these nails were special and show that God loves us so much. His one and only begotten Son paid the ultimate price for the sin of the world, when he was nailed to the cross and died.
Remember the chorus from the hymn He Was Nailed to the Cross written by Frederick Arthur Graves in 1906:
He was nailed to the cross for me…
On the cross crucified for me He died;
He was nailed to the cross for me.
Prayer
Our loving heavenly Father, we give you grateful thanks for the precious gift you gave to the world: your one and only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It’s in His name we pray.
Amen
Study by Dennis Payne
_________________________________________
About the writer:
Dennis Payne is a deacon and attends the Central London congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Grace Communion International London
Indian YMCA
Mahatma Gandhi Hall
41 Fitzroy Square
LONDON
W1T 6AQ
Meeting time:
Saturday 2:30pm
Local congregational contact:
Barry Robinson
Email: london@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact: wordoflife@gracecom.church