People often speak much about things that they have very little understanding of. Even Christians are sometimes guilty of this. Take the cross for example. Many who wear a cross as jewelry, sing “The Old Rugged Cross”, and speak of the cross in glowing terms, have not a clue as to what it is really all about. Perhaps you need to give it some thought today. What is so important about the cross? Why was is needed? What is the purpose of the cross? How can God be just and yet justify the unjust? Listen to these words from the pen of John Stott:
“How is it possible for the righteous God to declare the unrighteous to be righteous without either compromising his righteousness or condoning their unrighteousness? This is our question. God’s answer is the cross.
Without the cross the justification of the unjust would be unjustified, immoral, and therefore impossible. The only reason God justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5) is that ‘Christ died for the ungodly’ (Rom 5:6). Because he shed his blood (Rom 3:25) in a sacrificial death for sinners, God is able justly to justify the unjust.
According to the Christian revelation, God’s own great love propitiated his own holy wrath through the gift of his own dear Son, who took our place, bore our sin and died our death. Thus God himself gave himself to save us from himself. This is the righteous basis on which the righteous God can ‘righteous’ the unrighteous without compromising his righteousness.” Wow! What an awesome God we serve!
