What’s so good about Good Friday?
At first glance, Good Friday seems like a contradiction; it marks the day Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross – a day of pain, betrayal, and apparent defeat. How can this be called ‘good’? The answer is that the ‘good’ is not found in the suffering, but in what God accomplishes through it: reconciliation, adoption, and a restored relationship with him.
The cross reveals a God who is gracious, loving, and relational. God does not deal with humanity according to our sins or our worthiness. Instead, in Christ, God takes the initiative to reconcile us to himself. Christ’s death is not a payment to change God’s mind – it is God himself entering our brokenness to heal and restore.
This act is profoundly Trinitarian. The Father sends the Son in love; the Son freely gives himself, and the Spirit brings this reconciliation to life within us. Salvation, then, is not a transaction – it is the life of the Triune God poured out for, and shared with, us.
Because of this, our hope rests not in what we do for God, but in what God has already done for us in Christ. The cross stands as a lasting declaration that we are loved, forgiven, and included in his life.
As you reflect today, remember that the goodness of Good Friday is not only behind you – it is alive in you, shaping your identity and calling you to live in the freedom, joy, and assurance of God’s grace.
In Christian love,
Barry Robinson
About the Writer:
Barry Robinson is the Deputy National Ministry Leader for GCI in the UK and Ireland.