G
Grateful4mercy
Guest
When in quiet contemplation, pondering the greatness of God, I often find myself tripping on the “paid in full” rhetoric I often hear in the Bible Belt. I just can’t seem to get my brain around the concept of a debt or fine needing to be “paid” in the human sense of the word. There is nothing I can give to the Author of Creation and what would He do with it if I could? There has to be something else behind the actions of Christ on the cross; something bigger and more meaningful. I just can’t subscribe to the legalistic theology that says that God expected something in order to balance the scales of justice.
What my heart tells me (and I pray that the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me, but I would never dare assume so) is that God was quenching the guilt burning in our own hearts, not written in a ledger. We desire a means of making good for our transgressions, but being weak creatures we lack the commitment to follow through on our promises. We are self-absorbed and hard of heart. It takes extreme measures to get our attention and hold it. There is one thing, though, that universally destroys our narcissism and breaks our hearts of stone – the destruction of innocence.
Give this a try: imagine an adorable baby sweetly cooing in its crib. Now imagine plunging a knife into it over and over. Disturbing, no?
God knows our hearts. He knew it was going to take extreme measures to move us. And He knew He was the only one capable of achieving such a feat. Jesus’ death was more than just a one-time payment for sin. It was a nuclear explosion through the hearts of man that can never be extinguished. The brutality of the cross was what was required to bring us to repentance. Not just 2000 years ago, but for all time. I didn’t witness the passion of our Lord, but I can feel the pain of the destruction of His innocence. It’s as real as if I were Judas myself. This is the motivation necessary to keep me seeking the path to Glory. Anything else would mean his death was in vain, and I couldn’t live with the thought.
Maybe I’m just thinking about it too much. Peace and Happy New Year!
What my heart tells me (and I pray that the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me, but I would never dare assume so) is that God was quenching the guilt burning in our own hearts, not written in a ledger. We desire a means of making good for our transgressions, but being weak creatures we lack the commitment to follow through on our promises. We are self-absorbed and hard of heart. It takes extreme measures to get our attention and hold it. There is one thing, though, that universally destroys our narcissism and breaks our hearts of stone – the destruction of innocence.
Give this a try: imagine an adorable baby sweetly cooing in its crib. Now imagine plunging a knife into it over and over. Disturbing, no?
God knows our hearts. He knew it was going to take extreme measures to move us. And He knew He was the only one capable of achieving such a feat. Jesus’ death was more than just a one-time payment for sin. It was a nuclear explosion through the hearts of man that can never be extinguished. The brutality of the cross was what was required to bring us to repentance. Not just 2000 years ago, but for all time. I didn’t witness the passion of our Lord, but I can feel the pain of the destruction of His innocence. It’s as real as if I were Judas myself. This is the motivation necessary to keep me seeking the path to Glory. Anything else would mean his death was in vain, and I couldn’t live with the thought.
Maybe I’m just thinking about it too much. Peace and Happy New Year!