Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me.”
I came across a great little devotional which directed our focus of the symbolic to the true meaning behind the symbol. The precious
hymn of the Christian faith, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts
does not direct our affection to objects (like the cross or the blood of
Christ) and so imply improper worship, but it clearly specifies the deity and
work of Christ as paramount to us. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of
Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His
blood.” We worship the Lord for who He is and what He has done and
is doing on our behalf. His death, resurrection and ascension make all the
difference to us. Not who we are, but whose we are, and thereby the proper
outlook on life flows from that foundational truth.
Romans 5:10 “For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”.
Scripture asks us in Romans
12:1 to “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”.
We do not literally sacrifice ourselves to His blood, but we cherish and
recognize that the shedding of His blood on the cross makes it all possible. I
heard a sad story where a lady went into a jewelry story and asked to see a gold
Cross pendant for her necklace. The young lady behind the counter asked the
lady if she was interested in one with or without a man on it. Who is that man? In this
Christian nation’s politically correct quest to keep our religion to ourselves and out of the
public square and free marketplace of ideas, have we lost the Savior of
the world? What is love?
1 John
4:9-10 “Herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins”.
He
has done it all for us. We cannot earn salvation, but we have an obligation to
conform our lives to His example, even His death. Scripture informs us that we
can “know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” – Philippians 3:10. His death on the cross and His resurrection pave
the way for us to follow. He is our everlasting King! It all focuses in
on the cross—the wondrous cross! That cross is the symbol of the death
of our sin through the Blessed Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ. That’s why
Christ is our peace.
1 Timothy 1:17 “ Now to the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
2 comments:
Amen, Brian!
It may 'offend' the public, though it doesn't change the truth of the cross.
There is no other way of salvation except through the cross of Christ.
As long as we continue to shine Jesus in our daily interactions, He will continue to be seen by others through us. There is indeed a need for a Savior. We need Him now more than ever.
Great point Larri. I think that the term "public" may have been redefined in our politically correct society to mean the word "anyone". When it comes to the Lord, salvation and heaven, no matter what the opinion of the public might be, the fact that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life does not change and there are consequences to both belief & unbelief. As you as rightfully say: "There is no other way of salvation except through the cross of Christ." I love your term "shine Jesus" because we are told to be salt & light about the gospel truth lived out in our interactions with others, that they will see Christ through us. We all need a Savior ... the one & only Savior of the world Jesus Christ. Blessings to you and yours. Thank you for writing.
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