“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)

In choosing these as His last words, Jesus showed us the ideal way to meet God: committing our spirit into God’s hands for safekeeping.

Jesus spoke frequently of His Father, and it is clear that He means God Himself (Matthew 16:15-17). In fact, the key factor that led to Him being put to death was His claim that He was the Son of God (Luke 22:70-71).

There was no doubt about God accepting His Son’s spirit. Jesus never sinned, and never gave God any reason to be angry or disappointed with Him (Matthew 3:17) or refuse Him entry into His presence, but the same cannot be said for us. The Bible teaches that

“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

and that God will refuse us entry into Heaven unless this sin is dealt with. Not only that, but the Bible tells us that those who die in their sins will face eternal punishment at the hands of God.

This is why Jesus came into the world, so that He could go to the cross and take God’s punishment instead of us. If we admit that we have sinned against God, believe that Jesus, God’s Son, died on the cross to take our place, and ask God to forgive us for our sins, God will do so. This is not easily done – it takes humility to admit that we are sinners who deserve nothing more than an eternity in Hell. But, if we have done this, then we can go to meet God with the same assurance that Jesus had, committing our spirits to God for eternal safekeeping, rather than eternal judgement.