'cross' Tagged Posts
The Reason the Ascension Is So Important
Christmas and Easter are important markers on the Christian calendar. And rightly so. If Christ was not born, and if Christ was not resurrected, we would not be saved. Another important marker, forty days after the resurrection the ascension occurred (Acts 1:3, 9). (May 26 this year.) Unfortunately, the ascension is often overlooked. Many Christians do not celebrate the ascension as they do Christ’s birth and resurrection. This lack of celebration is unfortunate because without the ascension, we also would…
Are My Future Sins Forgiven?
In last week’s sermon, I argued from 1 John 1:9 that the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything, including giving believers a new cycle of sin, confession, and forgiveness. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, Christians depart the cycle of repeated sin with no confession and forgiveness. They receive a new cycle of sin, confession, and forgiveness. But a question arises from 1 John 1:9, which states: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us…
Who Wants to Limit the Atonement?
Some Christians are often charged with limiting the atonement. The truth is that these Christians do not want to limit the atonement. No one does. The reality, however, is that unless you are a Universalist, then you limit the atonement. How? In one of two ways. You either limit the effectiveness of the atonement, or you limit the extent of the atonement. If you limit the effectiveness of the atonement, you believe that Christ atoned for the sins of every…
How Do You Know God Loves You?
In human relationships, love is expressed in blessing people. I wash the van, shovel the snow, and clean the house, in part, because I love my wife; I know these things bless her. In human relationships blessings demonstrate love. But in relation to God, blessings alone cannot serve as the measure of his love. Why? Because if we have affliction, pain, and sorrow, we cannot say that God hates us (or loves us less) than if we have health, wealth,…
Why Did Christ Have to Die on a Cross?
I am not asking why Christ had to die. I am asking why he had to die on a cross. To ask the question another way: could Christ have atoned for our sins through stoning or hanging or some other means of execution? The answer is that an execution of any other means would give us no assurance that Christ has taken our curse for us. Allow me to explain. The law brings a curse, because cursed is anyone who…