In recent weeks I was driving somewhere and the song Glorious Day by Casting Crowns came on. I recognized that it is a song replete with Easter references and it drew my heart. We will look at some of the lyrics, though the primary significance of Easter is captured in something Paul wrote, ably summed up in the last verse below.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:23–25 (NKJV)
However, to the lyrics.
Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away
Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
In living on earth Jesus walked in love to those around Him and out of love for us laid down His life (John 3:16). On the cross He paid the price for our sins. When He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30) He was stating that the debt of sin had been fully paid and Paul tells us that our list of sins, our violations of the Law, were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Reflect on that. Each of us have a sin debt, charges filed against us under God’s moral law. Charges that affirm that we are deserving of death. Yet Paul states boldly that the list of wrongs against each of us was nailed to the cross and in essence with Jesus sacrificial death, written across our debt was, ‘Paid in full!’
However, not only was our debt paid, scripture goes further. A line in the song is ‘carried my sins far away.’ Paul tells us where they were carried to.
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3–4 (NKJV)
In His death Jesus took our sin debt to the grave with Him. He carried our sins not to some distant place but down to the grave, to burial, to be left in the grave.
This now takes us back to our starting verse, Jesus was delivered to the cross for our offenses, our sin debt, and then raised to life to justify us and establish our freedom from death and sin. Let’s walk through this a bit to appreciate the significance of the Easter story. Jesus took on flesh and the limitation of humanity out of His love for us. He then revealed the heart of the Father through His ministry (John 1:18, 14:9-11) He completed His earthly ministry by going to the cross. The sentence against us was carried out on Jesus, He then took our sins to the grave with Him, they are buried and done away with. He then gloriously rose to newness of life in a resurrected imperishable body as a foretaste of what will experience.
Given all of that, I encourage you, mediate on His finished work and the effects of this glorious day to truly appreciate what Jesus did on our behalf.
The full lyrics and a link to the song are below.
One day, when Heaven was filled with his praises
One day, when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is he
The Word became flesh
And the light shined among us
His glory revealed
Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away
Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
One day, they led him up Calvary’s mountain
One day, they nailed him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my redeemer is he
The hands that healed nations
Stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me
‘Cause living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away
Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
One day, the grave could conceal him no longer
One day, the stone rolled away from the door
Then he arose, over death he had conquered
Now he’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold him
The grave could not keep him
From rising again (rising again)
Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away
Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
Glorious day
One day, the trumpet will sound for his coming (we long for your coming)
One day, the skies with his glories will shine (glories will shine)
Wonderful day, my beloved one bringing
(My Saviour) my Saviour Jesus is mine
Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
Buried, he carried
My sins far away
Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
Glorious day
Oh, glorious day
Songwriters: Mark Hall, Michael Bleecker. For non-commercial use only.
