THE COLLISION OF GOD AND SIN . . .

THE COLLISION OF GOD AND SIN . . .

Today's reading from the pen of Oswald Chambers was powerful. It is a
good reminder of the purpose of the cross . . .

"The cross of of Christ is the revealed truth of God's judgment on sin.
Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the cross of Christ. It was
the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell. There is
nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than
what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross -- He made it possible for
the entire human race to be brought back into a right-standing
relationship with God. He made redemption the foundation of human life;
that is, He made a way for every person to have fellowship with God.

The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. God came in the flesh to
take away sin, not to accomplish something for Himself. The cross is the
central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems
of both.

The cross is not the cross of a man, but the cross of God, and it can
never be fully comprehended through human experience. The cross is God
exhibiting HIS nature. It is the gate through which any individual can
enter oneness with God. But it is not a gate we pass right through; it
is one where abide in the life that is found there.

The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason salvation is
so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. The cross was the place
where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and where
the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain of the collision
was absorbed by the heart of God." -- from MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST by
Oswald Chambers

"When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ, my
God;
All the vain things that charm me most -- I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled
down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." Isaac
Watts (1674-1748)

May these words cause you today to reflect on the Cross of Christ, not
just at this Easter season, but throughout the year.