What Is the Passion of Christ — In Biblical Context
The Passion of Christ refers to the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Jesus — the events that secured salvation for all who believe.
The Passion of Christ refers to the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Jesus — the events that secured salvation for all who believe.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." — Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)
The Biblical Context
The word 'passion' comes from a Latin root meaning 'to suffer.' The Passion of Christ encompasses the final hours of Jesus' earthly life — His agony in Gethsemane, betrayal by Judas, arrest, trials before Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod, scourging, the crown of thorns, the journey to Golgotha, the crucifixion, and His death and burial. Each Gospel devotes a large portion of its text to these events, and the prophets foretold them in remarkable detail centuries earlier. The Passion is not merely a tragedy but the redemptive heart of the gospel: Jesus willingly bore the wrath of God against sin so that sinners could be forgiven. Without His suffering there is no salvation; without His resurrection there is no victory.
Where It Sits in Scripture
The core passage for this question, Isaiah 53:5, sits inside Isaiah 53. To grasp the full meaning, read the surrounding paragraph — the verses before set up the thought, the verses after carry it forward.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Supporting Passages
"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
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