Christ has rescued us from our self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into Himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He took the curse upon Himself and ended it. And now, by believing in Jesus, we are all able to receive God’s life, His Spirit, in us. (Galatians 3:13-14)
This post builds on Jesus’ Grit for our Glory (Part 1) and (Part 2)
An Actress Denies God’s Authority
Actress Jessica Alba’s childhood was marked by illness. She suffered from pneumonia four times in one year, her lungs partially collapsed twice, and her appendix ruptured. Alba longed for purpose and a reason to keep going. At age 12, she joined a Christian youth group and called herself a born-again Christian. But at age 17, she was turned off by the church’s boundaries. She couldn’t believe that God would judge a sexual relationship outside of marriage between one man and one woman.1 Sadly, instead of seeking wisdom and discipleship, Alba abandoned her faith.
This actress, who now says she believes in something bigger than herself but not in Christianity or church, represents many modern Americans. When God’s views don’t align with their own, they reject His authority and create their own belief system. But just because we feel something doesn’t mean it’s right. And just because we think something doesn’t mean it’s true.
God’s Loving Standards for Living
The Lord created human beings and designed marriage to be a lifelong, covenantal union between one man and one woman. Jesus, Paul, and John tell us how marriage reflects the sacrificial, intimate love between Christ and His Church (His believers). Marriage is a unique companionship in which husband and wife become one flesh, practicing mutual respect and unselfish love.2 Single people (like Paul and many others) also have a special calling to walk closely with God, in sexual purity, and lead lives of significant service. We sin whenever we pursue any sexual relationship outside of God’s marriage design.3 When we belong to Christ, all of us – our hearts, our thoughts, our bodies, and our habits – come under His loving lordship.
Why Did Christ Have to Die for Us?
Jesus’ atoning death demonstrated both God’s righteous judgment against our wrongs of all kinds (not just sexual offenses) and His saving love. Because God is completely holy, He must punish sin. Because Christ is completely loving, He took our punishment! Jesus rescues His followers from our old ways and transforms us to live His way, which is best.
Scripture says, “Christ Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 4
What great news! Pastor Jack Miller says, “Cheer up! You’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine. And you’re more loved by God than you ever dared to hope.”
Did Jesus Know He was Going to Die?
Christ’s triumphal entry on Palm Sunday showed that He was in complete control of His circumstances, not passive. He willingly let Himself be killed, in order to save us. On different occasions, Jesus said:
- “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected. And He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
- “No one takes My life from me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have the power to lay it down and the power to take it up again.”
- “Greater love has no one than this: that He lays down His life for His friends. You are My friends if you do what I command.”
- At His arrest, Christ said, “Don’t you realize that I could pray now to My Father, and He would send twelve legions of angels to rescue Me?” 5
Ray Overholt’s hymn reminds us, “Jesus could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set Him free. He could have called 10,000 angels, but He died alone, for you and me.”
Christ said,”Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But the kernel’s death (Jesus’ death) will produce a plentiful harvest of new lives.” (John 12:23-24)
Because the Son of God loved us, He freely left the comforts of a sinless heaven to bring everlasting comfort to people on a sin-saturated earth. He willingly gave up His life, rose, and ascended back to Heaven, where He lives now to help us. Christ made the ultimate sacrifice so that we, His followers, could be freed from sin’s grip and gain abundant new life in Him!
Henry Milman’s hymn continues:
Ride on! Ride on in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die.
O Christ, Your triumphs now begin over captive death and conquered sin.
A Cosmic Victory for Everyday Struggles
The whole New Testament emphasizes that Jesus won a cosmic victory by His death and resurrection.
You (Christ’s followers) were dead because of your wrongs and your fallen nature. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, Jesus disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities by His victory over them on the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15)
When Christ looked His weakest, He was His strongest! And when Jesus’ followers are at our weakest, we can cling to His saving strength.6 Jesus was crucified in our place and raised from the grave to cast out and condemn Satan and his forces.7 Christ broke the devil’s power of death.8 He rescued His believers from the dominion of darkness, and brought us into His kingdom. No one can snatch us from Jesus’ hand. His atoning work is accomplished, completed, finished! Now in Christ, we have a restored, right relationship with God. This means that we have everlasting peace.9
Prayer
Lord Jesus, watch over us with Your protecting care as we gather in Your house of prayer. Cleanse our hearts, minds, and lives once again, and fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Strengthen us to live out the high calling You have given us. Guard us from stumbling and bring us into Your glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Carry all Your believers, redeemed from sinful stain, home to You to praise and serve You in the new heaven and new earth, where Your perfect justice will rule. Amen.10
From every stain made clean, from every sin set free.
O blessèd Lord, this is the gift that You have promised me.
And pressing through the past of failure, fault, and fear,
Before Your cross my soul I cast, and dare to leave it there.
Upon the altar here I lay my treasure down.
I only want to have You near, King of my heart to crown.
The fire does surely burn my every selfish claim.
And while from them to You I turn, I trust in Your great Name.
While in Your light I stand, my heart, I seem to see,
Has failed to take from Your own hand the gifts it offers me.
O Lord, Your plenteous grace, Your wisdom and Your power,
I here proclaim, before Your face, can guard me every hour. (Herbert Booth)
For more, see Jesus’ Grit for My Glory, Part 4
Notes (various Bible translations and paraphrases): 1 Derek Blasberg, “How Jessica Alba Built a Billion-Dollar Business Empire,” Vanity Fair, Dec. 1, 2015. 2 Eph 5:25-32; Gen 2:23-25; God’s Design For Marriage by Stephen J. Cole; bible.org. 3 God forbids all sexual acts outside of heterosexual marriage. He forbids fornication (premarital sex), adultery, incest, homosexuality, rape, prostitution, and pornography. Jesus said, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:28). For more on what God requires and forbids in the seventh commandment (“You shall not commit adultery”), see Westminster Larger Catechism in Modern English, #138-139, EPC Edition 2009. 4 1 Peter 2:24-25, quoting Isa 53:4-6. 5 Luke 9:22; John 10:18; Matt 26:53. 6 2 Cor 12:7-10. 7 John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11. 8 Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8. 9 Col 1:13-14 NLT. 10 This prayer builds on several hymns and Scriptures, including Ps 34:7, Ps 51, Ps 121; Eph 4:1-6; Jude 1:24-25; Rev 21. 11 Herbert Henry Howard Booth (1862-1926) was a Salvation Army officer, an evangelist, and the son of William and Catherine Booth.