"The cross of Jesus Christ is the signature
symbol of the central event in the history of civilization. Yet today we
depict the cross as common. Jewelers pound it into all sorts of finery
so we can staple crosses to our ears and wear them around our necks.
Merchandisers manufacture this symbol of unlimited atonement into fuzzy
things for our rearview mirrors or decorations for our gardens. From tea
cups
to t-shirts, people have used the cross to corner the market on
crassness. Department stores hawk chocolate-covered crosses for Holy
Week. Baseball players and businessmen cross themselves before a big
moment. The cross itself has become big business, but it was never
intended to be some lucky trinket. Making the cross common or cheap is
profanity in the truest sense. Is it any surprise we have lost the
wonder of what happened on Calvary?
The resurrection of Christ
was the event that accomplished salvation and verified Christ's victory
over death, but it was the cross of Jesus Christ that showed us the
grace of God. Everything that God wants us to know about Himself comes
together in those crossbeams.
Our entire purpose in life is to elevate the Cross. Think on Jesus Christ nailed to the wood. In your mind's eye, picture Him stretched out against the sky. What's He doing up there? Answer: He's subbing for you and me. He's taking God's wrath for your sin. He's satisfying the just demands of a holy God. He's paying the price that God's holiness requires so that you and I can be forgiven. In the place where our blood should have stained the ground, Jesus hung as our substitute.
You can't understand the Gospel until you understand this idea of substitution. Jesus’ death was in the place of every person who has ever lived. I am in that line. You are too. Each of us deserves to die in punishment for our own sin, but Jesus stepped in and took that penalty for each of us."
Our entire purpose in life is to elevate the Cross. Think on Jesus Christ nailed to the wood. In your mind's eye, picture Him stretched out against the sky. What's He doing up there? Answer: He's subbing for you and me. He's taking God's wrath for your sin. He's satisfying the just demands of a holy God. He's paying the price that God's holiness requires so that you and I can be forgiven. In the place where our blood should have stained the ground, Jesus hung as our substitute.
You can't understand the Gospel until you understand this idea of substitution. Jesus’ death was in the place of every person who has ever lived. I am in that line. You are too. Each of us deserves to die in punishment for our own sin, but Jesus stepped in and took that penalty for each of us."
this looks familiar :) thanks for the credit , nice blog btw
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
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