No reason for death

Luke 23:22

22 Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."

When the chief priests, rulers and people shouted, "Crucify Him [Jesus], crucify Him!" Pilate said to them the third time, "Why what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him..."

I want to draw your attention to this thing that Pilate said: "I have found no reason for death in Him." Beloved, there is no reason for death in Christ. And because you are in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30), there is no reason for death in your life.

There is no reason for you to be sick. There is no reason for you to be weak. There is no reason for you to be poor. There is no reason for you to die young. Heaven and hell cannot come up with a reason, for you are in Christ who is perfect. If the devil says, "I have a reason for you to be sick," you tell him, "No, liar, I am in Christ."

You are not in your sins. You are in Christ. And as He is, so are you in this world. (1 John 4:17)

God's image, justice and love

Genesis 9:6
6 "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A life for a life. Sounds fair enough. I understand. But why did God say that the reason for this is that we are made in His image?

You see, God's nature or "image" is such that when there is sin, when there is a transgression of His moral laws, the transgressor must pay or be punished.

Since man is made in His image, the same standards of God's justice are expected of man. In other words, if a man kills another man, he must pay for his sin with his own life -- a life for a life. This is God's justice.

The truth is that according to Jesus, we have all committed murder, because we have all hated or cursed our fellowmen at one time or another. (Matthew 5:21-22) And God's justice demands that we, who are made in His image, be punished with death -- a life for a life.

But God is also love. While His justice demands that we die, His love willingly provided a legal substitute -- His only Son. Jesus satisfied God's justice when He took our place at the cross of Calvary. We shed our fellowman's blood, but instead of our blood being shed as payment, Jesus shed His blood for us and died our death.