My Bible alphabet blog series is almost coming to an end (which took way longer than expected, but why hurry?) and X stands for Cross.
And with that I do not mean the cross (x) for a kiss, but the universal and international symbol of Christianity.
The cross symbolizes the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to earth as a human being to take the sin of humanity upon Himself.
A crazy exchange if you think about it. A holy God who approached sinful humanity, saying "Give me your pain and misery, and I will give you my forgiveness, peace, and salvation." That is not possible in any other religion. Yet there are many people who reject the cross. The Apostle Paul wrote about it: For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:18).
But fortunately, there are more than two billion people worldwide [source: Pew Reseacrh Center] for whom the cross is so much more than just a symbol or a necklace... it's the power from which they live. In Colossians 1:20 it is described as follows:
Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.
No human being can add anything to that. No good works, no prayers, no rituals, no pilgrimage ... We can only accept it in gratitude!
Marja: All I can say is "AMEN." Without the cross, we would not have God's forgiveness. Without that forgiveness, we could not look forward to entering heaven.
ReplyDeleteAmen, so be it Cecelia.
Delete