THE CHRISTIAN STORY

Living Stones Series: First Published in All Around Old Bridge Publication – April 2026, Pastor Lloyd Pulley

Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are central to Christianity! The Scriptures record that Jesus was “wounded for our transgressions” and “raised for our justification.” Justice, satisfied on the cross, made possible a resurrection and a transforming hope for those who believe.

Good Friday’s cross is not merely a religious symbol; it is a mirror exposing the moral failure and hypocrisy that exist not just “out there,” but within us. Christianity reveals that people are not basically good, but broken to the core. Jesus’ suffering was not a random tragedy, but a voluntary act of bearing the weight of all human evil—wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5).

But the resurrection changes everything!

Jesus was raised for our justification (Rom 4:25), proving that evil and death do not get the final say. In legal terms, justification means one is declared right—acquitted. Though we are all guilty, we have been declared forgiven and righteous by the death and resurrection.

For a world full of blame, shame, and endless cycles of sin, this message still speaks. Christianity does not deny human failure; it takes it seriously! Yet it also insists that restoration is possible—not through denial or self-improvement, but through grace.

Though Good Friday tells us we are more flawed than we care to admit, the resurrection we celebrate on Easter tells us we can be forgiven and accepted when we believe and trust in Him!