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Credo ut Intelligam

~ I believe so that I may understand

Credo ut Intelligam

Tag Archives: Cross

Proclaimed

08 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Atonement, Christianity, Cross, Devotional, Easter, God, Hope, Jesus Christ, Joy, Resurrection, Truth

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:45-47, ESV).

            When the two disciples who had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus were telling the others about what had happened, the Lord showed Himself once again (v.36).  He demonstrated to them that he was truly raised and not merely a spirit, that He had “flesh and bones” (vv.37-39), that he could eat (vv.41-42), and then proceeded, as before with the two, to explain His resurrection in the context of the Scriptures.  The disciples are to understand that His death and resurrection were for the salvation of man—for they shall soon be commissioned to proclaim this message near and far.

            Jesus Christ brings the fulness of salvation.  The prophets point forward to Him, the apostles reflect back upon Him; the Scriptures center upon Jesus and what He has done.  In Him we may have life.  Keep your hope and confidence fixed fully upon your risen Savior, and rejoice in the wonderful redeeming mercy of God.

Marvelous Necessity

05 Monday Apr 2021

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Atonement, Christianity, Cross, Devotional, Easter, Faith, God, Hope, Jesus Christ, Joy, Mystery, Resurrection, Salvation

“And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’” (Luke 24:25-26, ESV).

            On the road to Emmaus, the risen Lord appeared to two of His disciples.  They did not know Him at first—the Scripture attributes this to divine agency (v.16)—and so Christ heard from them their confusion about His death and the reports of the resurrection.  How marvelous it must have been to have your confusion corrected by the Lord Himself, who proceeded to describe the Old Testament testimony to His redemptive work (v.27)!

            Marvelous and mysterious is the redemptive plan of God.  It may be hard for us to see, hard to grasp the logic of God’s plan; but that is because of our weakness in faith and understanding.  God is good and gracious, wonderful and wise.  Let us trust Him.  Let us believe what God has spoken, and rejoice in the mysteries of redemption—in the atoning death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Wonder of the Cross

02 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by Joshua Steely in Contra Mundum, Pro Ecclesia, Theology

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Atonement, Christianity, Cross, Crucifixion, Easter, Good Friday, holiness, Jesus Christ, Love, Progressive Christianity, Redemption, Religious Left, Salvation, Theology

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16, ESV).

On Good Friday especially, we ought reflect on the meaning of the cross.  Why did Jesus die?  What did His death accomplish?  What is the message of the atonement?  Only when we will face the awful reality of sin can we grasp the magnitude of Christ’s accomplishment on the cross, and the wonders of the holy-love of God.

I mentioned recent statements by Jory Micah in my last Tuesday Tea-ology, but it has come to my shocked disbelief attention that not everyone drinks tea.  Now, you can watch Tuesday Tea-ology without drinking tea, but, to be on the safe side, I’ll restate the issue.

Jory Micah considers herself a theologian, and she has been intensely criticizing the idea of hell.  This, then, connected with criticism of the orthodox position on the atonement—because the wrath of God and the meaning of the cross are intertwined.  When you deny the wrath of God, you lose the significance of the cross, as Micah demonstrated.

In one tweet, she said:

“Jesus died because the empire murdered Him for standing up for what’s just. God didn’t kill Jesus and Jesus didn’t even “have to” die to inspire many to live for God.”

She makes two statements here, both of them problematic.  In the first place, she asserts that Jesus was executed by the Roman empire because of His stand for justice.  You can see how such a narrative would resonate with contemporary American culture and its fixation on heroic activism; but it has no basis in the biblical record.  The empire appears to have taken no notice of Jesus; the Roman governor is only triangulated into the business of Jesus’ trial because the Jewish leaders lack the authority to arrange an execution, and Pilate only gives in to the demand because of political pressure.

In the second place, she denies the divine purpose in Jesus’ death, but even in doing so reveals that she’s not even thinking in terms of an objective atonement at all.  Jesus’ death wasn’t necessary, she contends, in order for us to have Him as an inspiring example.  No, I suppose not; but, since the purpose of Jesus’ death was so much more than inspiration, the argument is rather toothless.  And, as a matter of fact, Jesus’ death is a prime example of the wonder of God’s love.

Micah also retweeted someone else, with the handle Pope Carmine Naugahyde, who asserted,

“Jesus didn’t die for our sin. He died BECAUSE of it.”

Now, this is, perhaps, closer to the biblical doctrine of the atonement, in that it at least recognizes that Jesus’ death was particularly related to human sin.  But it does so in a way that directly contradicts the true meaning of the cross.  The implication of the statement is that Jesus’ death was the result of human sin, but that His death was not intended to deal with human sin—it was not atonement at all.

But the Scriptures won’t support such anthropocentric exegesis.  There was, indeed, a divine purpose in the death of Christ.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).

“so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb. 9:28).

Jesus died for our sins, to take them away, to deal with them.  Dealing with sin meant paying the penalty for sin—suffering, on our behalf, the wrath of God.  That is what He did upon the cross, as the prophet Isaiah foretold:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:).

This is the message of Good Friday.  God, in the vastness of His holy-love, has dealt with our sin.  In the unfolding of the Triune mystery of salvation, we witness the depths of divine love turned upon us: the Father sent the Son, by the Spirit, to bear the wrath of God in our place so that we could receive forgiveness, life, and adoption to sonship unto God. The glory of the atonement can only be grasped by those who acknowledge the holiness of God, the depravity of sin, and the condemnation under which we stand apart from Christ.  Facing the terrible seriousness of our situation, we are able to see the work of Christ and the offer of salvation for what it is: the awesome redeeming majesty of the holy-love of God.

Given for Us

02 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Atonement, Christianity, Cross, Crucifixion, Devotional, God, Good Friday, holiness, Holy Week, Hope, Incarnation, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, Salvation, Theology

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV).

            At the cross we behold the unfathomable depths of the love of God.  God, the Holy One, loved so deeply the world of mankind—in all our wickedness, our sinful rebellion—that He gave His own Son for our redemption.  In this gave we see both the incarnation and the atonement: the Father gave His Son to become man, and gave Him upon the cross for our sins.  In the gift of God, the self-giving of the Son by the Spirit (Heb. 9:14), we see the marvelous extent of the holy-love of God Triune.

            Contemplate the love of God given in Jesus Christ our Savior.  May He bless you with His peace, strengthen your faith, and draw you near in the wonder of His abundant grace.  May the Lord renew your heart today.

Tuesday Tea-ology, 03/30/21

30 Tuesday Mar 2021

Posted by Joshua Steely in Theology

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Atonement, Christianity, Cross, Crucifixion, Eternity, God, Good Friday, Gospel, holiness, Jesus Christ, Liberalism, Love, Progressive Christianity, Religious Left, Salvation, Theology, Truth, Tuesday Tea-ology

Tuesday Tea-ology today looks forward to Good Friday. At the cross, God in holy-love atoned for our sins, so that we could have eternal life.

Tuesday Tea-ology 06/23/20

23 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Theology

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Cross, Forgiveness, Freedom, Grace, Hope, Jesus Christ, Life, Mercy, Tuesday Tea-ology

Tuesday Tea-ology is up! How wonderful that, in Christ, we can be free of the debt of sin.

Good Friday, Night

11 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Prayers

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Christianity, Cross, Crucifixion, Faith, God, God the Son, Good Friday, Holy Week, Hope, Jesus Christ, Life, Prayer, Salvation

Lord Jesus, remember me, in your infinite mercy. Reach down to me, and draw me to the cross of your loving sacrifice. You have bridged the separation between us and God; dying, you tore asunder the temple curtain and wrenched open the tombs. Let me rest in the wonder of the cross. Give me faith to look upon you with trust and adoration, to proclaim in brokenness and awe, ‘truly you are the Son of God.’

Tenebrae

11 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in This and That

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Cross, Crucifixion, Good Friday, Gospel, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Salvation

Watch here.

Good Friday, Evening

10 Friday Apr 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Prayers

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Christianity, Cross, Crucifixion, Faith, Good Friday, Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Praise, Prayer, Redemption, Salvation

Lifted up upon the cross, you draw all men to yourself, Lord Christ. To save us, you did not spare yourself. For our reconciliation with God, you lifted up your cry of God-forsakenness. You suffered and died in our place, our sacrificial lamb. Praise to you, lamb who was slain; glory to you, crucified Savior; honor to you, blessed Redeemer, who bore the cross for us.

Our Refuge

21 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by Joshua Steely in Meditations

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Bible, Comfort, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Cross, Faith, God, Hope, Jesus Christ, Pandemic, Peace, Salvation, Scripture, Strength, Trust

We will not fear.

Where do we find the strength and confidence to stand firm against opposition, to stand strong in times of fear and uncertainty?

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2, NIV).

We are small, fragile and easily frightened.  But there is a blessed Therefore, because of which we can stand in the face of chaos.  Wherefore?  Because God is our refuge and strength.  Because He is an ever-present help in trouble.

The children of God do not face life’s tragedies and terrors alone.  We do not face the shaking of nations in our own strength.  No, we can lean upon the arms of the Almighty.  Wherever we are and whatever we face, we can call out to the omnipresent, omnipotent God.

And we are confident, knowing His loving care.  The Father sent His own Son as a sacrifice for our redemption; won’t He hear us when we call?

What shall we say in times of fear and uncertainty?  We will not fear.  Why not?  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

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