Glory of the Cross – Part 5
Why is redemption so hard? Why couldn’t God just say, “you’re forgiven….let’s forget it and move on? After all, we all make mistakes don’t we?” Great questions frequently asked by well-intentioned people.
Let’s relocate the drama for a moment from the hill of Golgotha to a courtroom in your hometown. Your child… your spouse… your grandson… your parent… has been unjustly attacked and cruelly killed by an out-of-control and unrepentant drug pusher. He has been caught. He has been arrested. The evidence is laid out before the jury. Not a dry eye is seen among the twelve. A guilty verdict is assured. The jury returns to read the verdict to the courtroom. “Guilty as charged, your Honor.”
And when the time comes for the judge to render appropriate punishment he looks at the convicted criminal, glances at the victims family, and says, “You know what? You’re forgiven. Let’s just forget it and move on. Nobody’s perfect.”
We don’t have to pause long to think about what your response to that would be, would we? It would be insane! Inexcusable! This judge should be disbarred from the law!! And yet we ask God to do the same.
Where do you think this desire to see the Law fulfilled within us comes from? It comes from the One Who made us as we are. He is perfectly just… without any fault… Holy, Holy, Holy. And because of that Holy perfection there is within our God and Father a desire to OBLITERATE anything that is not like Him. That is not perfect. That is not Holy.
But holiness cannot be handed out like favors at a birthday party. It can be given only when sin has been taken out of the picture. So God is in a place where His Holiness struggles with His Love for us all. The answer?
The cross. The cross and that alone would allow God to say, “Guilty as charged!” and exact the perfect punishment and at the same time say, “You’re forgiven” without compromising who He is.
Redemption was hard. For God. But it doesn’t have to be for us…
… if only we’ll believe.
“For God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself….” 2 Corinthians 5:19
FOR REFLECTION: Have you ever thanked God for His redemption?