O mighty cross, love lifted high,
the Lord of light. Raised there to die His sacrifice
on Calvary Has made the mighty cross a tree of life Welcome,
friends, to another broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The
Apostle Paul summed up the Gospel in a few short words when he
said, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever the cross of Christ
is mentioned, the thoughts of many go to a couple of pieces
of wood which were raised on a Judean hillside. It is quite
popular to wear the symbol of a cross as a piece of jewelry
or to display it on meeting houses around the countryside. It is
the subject of many psalms and often mentioned in sermons and
prayers. Yet when Paul referred to the
cross, he was not thinking of the wood, its shape, or its location,
but rather his thoughts were upon the one who hung upon that
cross and what he accomplished there. Most of those who profess
to be the followers of Christ would testify that Jesus of Nazareth
died on a Roman cross in order to pay for the sins of mankind.
They believe that he is a noble example of self-sacrifice and
love to humanity. However, to mention the cross,
apart from exalting the one who hung there, is to miss the glory
of the cross and make it but an idol. To refer to the work
of Christ on the cross and fail to declare the totality of the
work which He absolutely accomplished and finished there is to make
the cross of none effect, and reduce the Savior's work of redemption
to a mere attempt at, or a part of, the salvation of men rather
than its totality. The writer of the epistle to
the Hebrews had no doubt as to what the Lord Jesus did when
He suffered, bled, and died upon that cruel instrument of death.
By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. He goes on to say, for by
one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. This is quite in contrast with
the popular message of today, which says that Christ died in
an attempt to save all men, but in reality actually procured
the salvation of none. since he can now only wring his
hands in anguish hoping that some will be saved by adding
their faith and making salvation complete. This is a total juxtaposition
of scriptural salvation and is a perversion of the truth, making
a man's salvation ultimately dependent on his decision to
receive it rather than resting in a transaction carried out
by Jesus Christ alone. When the angel appeared to Joseph
and told him, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sin, he did not say he will make an
attempt to save all men, but rather he shall indeed save those
for which he came into the world to save. The cross of Christ
is a beacon of hope for helpless and mourning sinners. It is here
that the sinless Son of God hung between heaven and earth as a
sacrificial lamb. It is here that He actually took
sins of His people and completely paid their sin debt, leaving
them nothing to owe. He is the Savior of sinners,
one who is mighty to save and does in His own time awaken those
whose debt He has settled. causing them to flee to him for
refuge. For whosoever believeth in him
shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This life is bestowed upon
dead sinners according to the same grace that moved the spotless
Lamb of God to give Himself as an offering for sin once and
for all. Jesus Christ has purchased the
eternal redemption of His elect children by His death on Calvary's
cross. He gives unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. That's ForTheFour at WINDSTREAM.net.