Crosses

The cross of Jesus is both terrible to contemplate, and the source of my salvation.

It was His suffering and death upon His cross that I deserve for every last one of my sins against the will of God. Public or private, large or small: those distinctions don't matter. Each transgression is sufficiently evil to require death.

A cross is a simple thing, but like a gas chamber, an electric chair, a gibbet or headsman's axe, the meaning behind it is death. In fact, those other things are meant to minimize suffering in one way or another, but a cross is meant to extend and magnify it. As a symbol of suffering and an instrument of pain, a cross is worse than most alternatives.

The Son of God gave His life on a cross because He wanted to obey His Father and redeem me from the guilt of my sins. That's what it took. That's what He did. When I contemplate the horror of the cross, I naturally think, "Lord, have mercy!" When I contemplate the use and meaning of the cross, I see His mercy in action. He did not spare His Son, so that He might spare me. Jesus' cross was the price for my life, for my forgiveness.

Since I have been given a new life through Jesus' death, my life has been shaped according to the cross. Each day is an opportunity to live in thankful joy for the grace of my Lord Jesus, my Redeemer. Yet within me are still the old tendencies to sin, the old evil addictions of the flesh, the old rebellion against God's will. So I, too, have a cross to bear. I must crucify my sinful flesh, an agonizing experience. I must put it to death through repentance, through confession, through utter reliance upon the power and grace of God that I find in His promises to me.

My cross is horrible. It may not be as terrible as Jesus' cross, but it's still awful. Yet it is also precious to me, because through its destructive power, I am constantly reminded of my need for the cross of Jesus. I am brought ever more to lean upon His strength, as I recognize the weakness in myself.

This blog will be a place to contemplate the many manifestations of the cross in a Christian's life, to put them in a salutary perspective, and to appreciate them as gifts of grace. I may invite others to participate by writing posts. We'll see where we go from here.