Friday, July 8, 2011
Done!
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. —Romans 5:10
What separates the Christian faith from all other belief systems in the world today is that you can go to the tombs of the prophets and the gurus and pay your respects, but if you go to the tomb of Jesus Christ, you will find that it is empty. He has risen again.
When a man who was trying to start his own religion contacted a well-known diplomat and asked for advice about how to get more people to join his religion, the statesman answered, “Well, I recommend that you get yourself crucified and then die, but be sure to rise again on the third day.”
If you were to sum up all other religions of the world, one word would suffice: “do.” Do this, and you will find peace of mind . . . do that, and maybe you will get to heaven. But the word that sums up Christianity is “done.” It was done for us at the cross—paid for, completed. Jesus died and rose again.
Why did Jesus have to die—and die in the way that He did? There was no other way to meet the righteous demands of God, because the Bible says, “According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22), and “the person who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20).
It was at the cross that God and man were reconciled once again. At the cross, that which was lost in the Garden was regained. At the cross, the righteous demands of God were satisfied. At the cross, Jesus dealt a decisive blow against Satan and his minions. At the cross, our salvation was purchased.
Summary sentence: If you were to sum up all religions of the world, one word would suffice: “do.” What one word would suffice for Christianity?
Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
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