Why Do We Celebrate the Cross?

Sometimes it may seem strange that Christians celebrate the cross of Jesus Christ. Why would a symbol of torture and death become a fundamental symbol of our faith?

The answer, in part, is that we celebrate because of all God accomplished through the cross of Christ. Here are a few of those accomplishments:

• Our penalty has been paid: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Our sins have been forgiven: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).
• Satan has been defeated: He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Colossians 2:5).
• Death has been conquered: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
• We have been redeemed: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
• Our hearts are now reconciled to God: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself...(2 Corinthians 5:18).
• We have been adopted as children of God: For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons...(Romans 8:15).
• We have the promise of eternal life: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16-17).

God the Father sent Jesus the Son to do what no person could possibly do: redeem sinful people like you and like me. THAT is why we celebrate the cross!

Is Anyone Paying Attention?

As a blogger and author, I have written tons of materials and put them "out there" for the world to see.

Sometimes I wonder…does anyone really read my stuff? Am I doing any good? Does anyone even notice me? Sometimes I feel like I'm shouting into a vast, dark space, and hearing nothing but the sound of my own voice. I fear that nobody is paying attention to me, and my words are being treated as…well…insignificant. If nobody is reading the stuff I've written, they aren't getting any benefit from what I've communicated.

I was praying about this yesterday, and the Lord graciously turned it into a life-lesson for me. He reminded me that He has written a Book for me to read, so I can better understand Him and all He wants for me. Am I paying attention to what He's written?

How are we doing in this area? Are we listening to God through reading His Word and following the leading of His Holy Spirit? Or are we essentially ignoring Him and going about our daily lives, completely unaffected by what He has communicated to us?

I suspect we can all do a little better in this area. Let's start today.

God's blessings to you,
Brian Whitaker
www.whitakerwritings.com

Always Saved?

A friend of mine posed a good question about salvation: "Can a person who has been truly 'born again' lose (or throw away) their salvation?"

I do not believe that someone who is truly saved can walk away from Christ. If God is the one who did all the work (Ephesians 2:8-9), how can we UNDO that work?

In John 10:27-30, we read about how Jesus Christ holds His sheep in His hands, and how God the Father holds His sheep in His hands. God holds on to us, not the other way around.

In Ephesians 1 we have some wonderful teaching about what God has done in bringing us into a relationship with Him. The whole chapter is helpful to read, but I would especially point to verses 11-14.

In Philippians 1:6 we read about how the Lord will be faithful to complete what He started in us. In Romans 8:38-39, we read that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Still, we have a very sticky problem whenever we see someone who has seemed to walk faithfully with Christ for a long time, but now is not living at all for Him. What do we do with that?

Let me turn the coin over and show the other side for a moment. Yes, the Lord holds us firmly in His hand. But as Christians we also have a responsibility to follow the Lord in daily obedience.

In John 14:15, we read Jesus' words: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." He repeats and expands this teaching just a few verses later, in John 14:21-24. If we love the Lord, then obedience to Him will come naturally. And it is by our obedience that we show we truly love the Lord, as we read clearly in 1 John 5:3.

We have a duty as His disciples to take up our cross DAILY and follow Him (Luke 9:23) and to abide in Christ (John 15:1-17).

If we have been truly saved, then God holds on to us, and we are always His. But if a person can comfortably walk away from the Lord and not feel the convicting work of His Holy Spirit drawing him or her back, then I doubt that person has ever been truly saved. (Even Judas appeared to be a good follower of Jesus for more than three years, but Jesus said that Judas never truly belonged to Him.)

If someone has walked in long-term disobedience to Christ, I would take them back to the Cross. Whether they belong to Jesus but got involved in a sinful pattern, or they never belonged to Jesus in the first place - the Cross is still the place to go when anyone is ready to repent. And God is faithful to forgive (see 1 John 1:9)!

The "C" Word

In 2011 I traveled to South Sudan to work with some dear friends who are church leaders there. As part of our training sessions, we wanted to help the church leaders understand and fulfill their biblical roles as elders in their churches.

Along with one of my team members, I carefully went through the Bible passages about elders. We were assisted by one of the best translators. But after almost an hour of teaching, I realized that the men in the room were not really getting it. I saw blank stares and shuffling feet. Almost nobody was taking notes anymore.

I prayed, and the Lord helped me understand the problem. All morning we had been using the word "elder." The men in the room understood this to mean "tribal elder" (chief) or "village elder" (older man in the village that is considered wise because of his age). So the men in the room - none of which were tribal elders or village elders - didn't realize that these Bible passages applied to them!

Communication - the "C" word. I love it and I hate it. I am a communicator by vocation. Most of the time I communicate fairly well. But occasionally I manage to communicate something so poorly that I end up conveying the opposite of what I actually mean. Sometimes I write, then edit, then edit again - only to have someone else help me realize that my words have obscured the message instead of clarifying it.

In stark contrast, the Lord has communicated Himself clearly and faithfully to us in His Word - the Bible. Even more, He has given us - as believers in Christ - His Holy Spirit, who guides us in understanding His Word.

We read these words of Jesus in John 16:13: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…." God didn't just give us His Word and then leave us on our own to understand it. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us understand and apply what He wrote in His Word!

Thank you, Lord! You are an awesome Communicator!

What's Your Theology?

Everyone has a theology of some kind. Theology, simply defined, is a set of beliefs about God. Some people may try not to think about their own theology; some people may try to deny they have one. But everyone has some kind of view about God. Yes, you do too.

So, let me ask you this: What is your theology?
* Do you think God doesn't exist at all (atheism or agnosticism)?
* Do you think God spun the world into motion but is not involved in day-to-day life (deism)?
* Do you believe God is just a good God who loves everyone?
* Do you believe God is a vengeful or angry God who is waiting to punish sin?
* Do you believe that God sent Jesus into the world to be the Savior, so that we may have a personal relationship with Him?

I encourage you to be honest enough to admit whatever your theology may be. Don't ignore the question, because it may have big implications.

Then, if you're especially courageous, take time to study more to learn if your beliefs about God are accurate. Are you willing to learn more, even if that means your theology needs to change?