With the celebration of Easter “the Resurrection of Christ” behind us, I am reminded of the significance the Cross, and the Empty Tomb, have on the world daily. For those of us who believe in God, and believe Him to be holy, righteous, and just; what other way to approach God’s throne but with perfectly clean hands.
Considering our Human condition: Can a perfect God be soiled with our presence? Can a righteous Judge forgive sinners and remain righteous? Wouldn’t a perfect judge pronounce the perfect penalty? If a perfectly just judge pardons sinners, wouldn’t he cease to be just or fair? And when weighed against God’s perfection, what would the correct judgment be for only one sin? How many sins does each of us carry? Speaking for myself, my sins are too numerous to even consider counting.
I believe this is a dilemma that those of us who believe in God have been dealing with throughout time. Many religions are filled with ways of repaying for failures. Various cultures have built sacrificial altars to appease an angry god because of their misdeeds. Is God just an angry being? Or is God Holy? Holiness itself demands communion and fellowship with only other holy beings. So how do we become holy enough to approach God?
Think of it, religions cannot make a person holy enough. They are a futile attempt of sinners to purge themselves of their own sin. Can a leopard remove its spots? Can a dirty pond make itself clean? Can a person with filthy hands cleanse him or herself with those grimy hands? Impossible! This is where the Cross comes in.
The Cross is where our righteous judge took the world’s sins upon Himself. Since there is no one holier than God, God incarnate (in the flesh), reconciles us to Himself, through His son Jesus Christ. The perfect sacrifice; as John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” – The Gospel of John 1:29. At the Cross, God made us right with him because we were unable to make ourselves right.
All the greatest deeds in the world couldn’t make us perfect within our guiltiness. If a person kills a father of four, but found the cure for cancer, wouldn’t they still be judged for that murder? Think about it, if we were perfect and holy we’d be doing all those great deeds anyway, because that’s what perfect people do; and, they would do them without a debt of sin on their shoulders. That’s where Jesus came in. He lived the sinless life that none of us could, and at the cross He took our sins on Himself and transferred His righteousness to us. The Apostle Paul said, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
What this comes down to is; what do we do with the cross? For us personally? What does it mean to you? Or me? What do we do with the most important gift God could give us through His Son (total forgiveness)? Christ’s cross is where God the Father shows us how much He loves us. Let’s list some of the things we receive through Christ: A personal relationship with God through Jesus which is a perfect connection with our heavenly Father. Holiness, Righteousness, Salvation, Full Acceptance; as a truth, we gain everything Jesus had with the Father because Jesus suffered for all we lacked.
What if we reject God’s gift? Why would we? Shall we say God’s provision for us is not on our terms? In fact, it’s not on our terms, it’s on God’s condition; He paid our way with the ultimate price. Therefore, it is through Faith in Christ we are to be saved by Grace – Ephesians 2:8-9. Without Faith it is impossible to please God. But on the other hand, if we do have faith in His Son, God’s provision for us, we have been made perfectly pleasing to the Father. Furthermore, we have a relationship with God that we could not achieve on our own.
So, how do we make this connection? In Romans 10:9-10 it says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Basically, it’s all a matter of prayerfully giving your heart to Jesus to fix, and doing it sincerely.
“Tell God, your Father in heaven, that you are sorry for your sins. Ask Him, if His Son’s saving grace could be applied to you; if His death on the cross, and His raising from the dead power, would clean you of all your sins. *Ask your Father in heaven to give you His Holy Spirit to guide and direct your life. Accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as God who came in the flesh to make you right with Him, and ask Jesus to be your Lord” This may seem like a big step, because it is; but it is the only way to make things right between you and God. (*Luke 11:13)
If you, just now, have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, please leave me a comment. I would love to get a Bible and some good reading material in your hands to help you on your journey with Christ. However, all you really need is the Bible. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will be the one truly guiding the way (1 John 2:27; Ephesians 1:17-18 http://bit.ly/oqNorP). Pray, and ask Jesus to show you what the things you read in the Bible mean. He (God), who began a good work in you is faithful to complete what He started.
Here are a few more Bible verses to think on:
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
John 10:28-30
“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Hebrews 7:25
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
