My Lord and My God
Jesus obeyed the Father all the way to the cross and purchased for humanity an inheritance of obedience, faith, and power by His blood and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We now have divinity in our humanity by grace, and can choose through faith to walk in victory resisting the schemes of the devil or give in like Adam and Eve did. The life of grace is one of humility, meekness, and obedience manifesting in power and victory changing this world by advancing the rule and reign of God on earth as it is in heaven where our high priest, our brother, the second Adam, the God-man, the Word-made-flesh is victoriously seated above all powers in Heaven and on earth. In order to walk in this reality, we need to from our side have an intimate and personal experience and understanding through the cross.
Jesus did not just model for us. He recreated us. The Son did not become a man just to show us. He became a man to include us in His life. When we look at the cross and all that it stands for, one major aspect stands out for me. It is the life of God manifested in the worst human condition of condemnation, humiliation, injustice, and murder. Paul says He became sin, so that we may become righteousness. No, it wasn't a mere exchange either. The way I see it is much deeper than that. I see God crucified, not a mere substitute, but God on the cross for all of humanity. That is why the Bible says that by His stripes, we are healed. The stripes of condemnation, hatred, violence, and murder on the innocent God-man have a direct result of healing on fallen humanity.
To render the cross a 'human' love concept, a theological and biblical theatrical spectacle, is to strip it from its power to deliver, save, heal, and bless. To render the cross a past event, a symbol, a religion, a "way to God" looks nice on the outside, but has no practical explosive power for us now.
I never believed in Jesus because I was taught. I never was. I didn't surrender my entire life to Him because it made sense or because it felt nice, it didn't. On the contrary, it was a horrific experience. My entire life shook and I knew that my time was up, because my own personal life-juice had depleted and it was the inevitable thing to do, although none of it made sense, it involved a lot of hurting and hurting loved ones, almost all of them.
The cross is highly offensive, not just in preaching, but also in its implications and application. It is a weapon and a door, a sword and a cane, a thorn and a flower, not just in contrast based on how you look at it, but as the intersection of the eternal heart of God with the enmity of this world.
The squirrel looks for his hole in the tree and the bird for his nest. Humanity's home is now found in the cross, in the person of the God-man, who always was with God, who always was God, who was in the bosom of the Father but decided to turn His face towards us and shine His goodness on us, who became man to share in our sufferings, but without sinning, so that we may also share in His glory when we walk hand in hand with Him.
With all my respect and love to everyone who always has, still does and will honor me, love me and respect me, I can only find true comfort in the wounds of Jesus, where I find my Lord, where I find my God, where I find my home, my cleft in the Rock! God bless you.
