We dare not judge anyone that Jesus gave His life to forgive. And today is the day Jesus gave His life to forgive us all. Today is Friday. Good Friday.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

This would include those who crucified Him, because Christ asked the Father to forgive them from the cross. It would also include us, since we are all among those who crucified Him. We all crucified Christ with our sin. It was our sin that killed Him, not the nails, or the whipping, or the loss of blood. That’s why He died so fast. They came to break the legs of all three of them so they could get the bodies down from their crosses before the Sabbath, and Jesus was already dead.

“Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

So what about that forgiveness? Was that just a nice thing for Jesus to say? Or did God hear that request and go, “No, son. Sorry. I can’t do that”? There was never a time when Jesus didn’t mean what He said (except for a few cases of obvious hyperbole), and there was never a time when God didn’t grant His request. So does that mean we are all forgiven? What do you think? Isn’t that what this was all about?

Blanket forgiveness? That’s what it says. The only thing remaining is for us to believe it and receive it. And as for our attitude towards others, I will say it again, We dare not judge anyone that Jesus gave His life to forgive. How could we? How could we receive a forgiveness we don’t deserve, and deny it to someone else, as if they do?

This is why we introduce Grace to everyone through the Gospel of Welcome: Grace given to us, and then Grace Turned Outward to everyone — one person at a time.

“It is finished” (John 19:30).

Don’t miss our Good Friday service live on Facebook.com/thecatch at 12 noon PDT.