An Offering for Sin

Tags

Atonement, Bible, Cross, Crucifixion, Expiation, God, God's Will, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Prophets, Propitiation, Sacrifice, Salvation, Soteriology, Theology

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

(Isaiah 53:10, NIV)

In this one verse we see the wonderful mystery of the cross expressed.  What a marvelous gift that God gave this word to the prophet Isaiah, and how it must have moved and mystified that holy man and so many others, to ponder what all this could mean.  Yet in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the mystery is made plain, and we are left with adoration and awe.

The cross was not an accident of history, the tragic death of one more good man at the hands of the wicked.  It was the will of God, the divine act of redemption for the lost human race.  Here the Son of God suffered for us, perfect obedient Servant, pure Substitute, Holy Savior of mankind.

Christ was made an offering for our sins.  By His sacrifice, the wrath of God is satisfied and our guilt is washed away.  What we could never accomplish for ourselves, Christ did on our behalf.  And for all His wonderful miracles, His greatest act was offering Himself up to make atonement for us.

And yet He lives.  He sees offspring–the children of God, who through faith may be saved because of what He has done.  His days are prolonged, for He defies death and is raised to life eternal.  And He accomplishes the redeeming purpose of God, securing a people for the Lord redeemed and renewed by His blood.

Praise to God for His wonderful work, for the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Love Indescribable

Tags

Christ, Christianity, Cross, Culture, God, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Life, Love

So many things are advanced under the banner of ‘love’ these days, and such a variety of things are condemned as hate.  As a culture, we are deeply confused about love.

But there is a transcendent standard, if we will look to it: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Love is a self-giving for the other, and there has never been such a marvelous demonstration of love as when God the Father sent His Son to die in our place, the Savior of the world.

We were not good and worthy of saving.  We were His enemies, not His friends.  He wasn’t in our debt; we already owed Him everything, and had reneged on our obligations towards Him.  Any attempt to see us as deserving of salvation cheapens God’s grace and undercuts the matchless mystery of His redeeming love.

Christ died for us because God is love.  God is so consummately loving, that He gave His only beloved Son for our redemption.  God’s love was demonstrated, enacted, incomparably displayed, upon the cross where Jesus died for us.

Love indescribable, wonderful and wild, extravagant and incomprehensible.  This is the majesty of divine love.  This is love that shakes the world.

To Desire Aright

Tags

Cross, Distraction, Eternity, God, Life, Meaning, Truth

Eternal Truth, give me right desires,

your fires for mine–ephemeral and vain;

cleanse the stain of my misplaced love

and turn above my wayward eyes.

Arise, weak heart, and see

the glory that the world thinks small

surpasses all; ephemeral life’s charms

and harms alike.  Give me vision,

sweet decision, on that ancient crucifix

to so transfix my wandering gaze

that all my days will view

ever anew your Truth Eternal.

Theodicy

Tags

Comfort, Cross, Death, Jesus Christ, Pain, Poem, Problem of Evil, Theodicy, Tragedy, Truth

All our ‘why’s, our tears,

our anguished cries, seem hollow

set against the silent skies–

does heaven not hear?

But God is near, He

reaches down, bent down to wear

our thorny crown, and

stretches hands to us,

as stretched His arms upon the cross.

Our pain is answered cruciform;

our why is stilled at His reply,

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani!”

the cry that answers all our pain–

death’s death-knell, most awful,

most wonderful, numinous strain.

And grief will be ended,

and joy live again.