THE MYSTERY OF THE CROSS

While God's righteousness demanded that He be just, it did not demand that He be forgiving.

Think about it. If justice is one of God's attributes, He must punish rebellion. If He is sovereign, there can only be one authority. All humanity has fallen into ourself, demanding autonomy, self-serving and self-centered. Yet, God is not willing to give us up. I find it hard to understand that kind of love.

Here is the deal:
On the Cross, God treated Jesus the Christ, His perfect Son, as if He was me,
so that He could treat me, a sinner, as if I was Jesus. II Cor.5:21

That reality reduces me to silence. The justice of God can not just look over rebellion and violence, corruption and evil. It must be punished. Jesus was God, come in flesh, to take the punishment I deserved, for the privilege of having a love relationship with me. Since my debt was paid for, He says to me, "Your sin against Me is forgiven. Now we can be together."

Oh the wondrous cross! How can an instrument of execution be so wonderful? so full of mystery? I can not put in words what my heart feels toward the Triune God whose love is so radical that He would put on flesh to join us in this broken, suffering world. The mystery of Jesus, fully God yet fully man. The mystery of mercy triumphing over judgement in His death. At the cross we see both the loving kindness and the sternness of God. A place where love and sorrow meet, where thorns compose so rich a crown, where we count our richest gains as lose to join Him.

I take, O cross, your shadow for my abiding place.
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face.
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
My glory, yes the cross.


The cross is at the very core of human life. When things don't make sence I look at the cross and get my balance. When questions befuddle my thinking and all seems unreasonable, I look at the cross and become confident that God is and He is in control, and He loves me. He will keep His promise to make all things new.

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
O there are 10,000 charms.