Saturday, April 07, 2007

The Irony of the Cross

From http://www.desiringgod.org

Colossians 1:19 - “. . . making peace through the blood of his cross . . .”

How did God take evil, despicable people like us and make us acceptable? By the most evil, despicable deed ever committed.

God reconciled sinners to himself through the blood of the cross. Murder is the extent of hatred—we cannot be farther from God than when we murdered him!—yet that is how he made peace with us. We can draw near to God because of the very act that pushed us the farthest away from him.

So God did not just save us from our sin—he saved us with our sin. And he did not just save us with our sin, but with our worst sin. And not just with our worst sin, but with our worst possible sin. And not just with our worst possible sin, but with the worst possible sin!

Our sin in crucifying Christ made our sanctification possible. We are saved by the very thing we need salvation from. So our depravity is not hopeless: We cannot be worse than what the Lord will save, because he has saved us by means of our very worst.

What a blessed, yet sorrowful, irony Good Friday is. And what a mysteriously kind God, who works even the hatred of those who love him for their good!

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