O, That Wonderful Cross

On the way to work I thought of that song that Michael W. Smith sings on his first "Worship" CD (by the way, "Smitty" is in an acting role in a new film coming out today called "Second Chances").

That wonderful cross. Reading Leviticus early this morning triggered a memory from a few years ago that made me think of what Jesus has done for us. Our small group was meeting one Sunday night and one of our members, Tina, said that she was in Bible Study Fellowship and had been studying all about the sacrifices in the Old Testament. Then she said something that has stuck with me for years: "Reading about all the sacrifices that the Israelites were required to offer made me think of why we need Jesus so much."

I read over and over this morning about all the blood that flowed every day at the altar of the Tabernacle, as the priests offered these animals to atone for their sins or the sins of the Israelite community . No wonder we need a Savior! We can't atone for our own sins. We need a substitute. That's what the cross is all about.

These excerpts from Romans 5, in The Message, describes this truth so beautifully:

"God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were o f no use whatever to him...

" If, when were were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!...

"Sin didn't, and doesn't , have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hand down.

"God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life -- a life that goes on and on and on, world without end."

May we all trust in Christ alone, glorying in nothing but the cross, and experience in the very depths of our souls this "aggressive forgiveness we call grace!"

Jim