“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking…You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self…and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:17, 22, 24).
We love affirmation. We hate correction.
Our world is all about affirmation.
- Do you.
- As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, go for it.
- You are perfect just the way you are.
That’s so nice.
But the problem is we are not nice. We are not good. And we are certainly not perfect the way we are.
Jesus did not die on the cross to affirm us and to celebrate us just the way we are. If we are perfect just the way we are, we certainly don’t need a savior, and forget about the cross. What a bloody waste!!!
And, that’s just the thing. Jesus did die on the cross. You know why? Because we are not perfect. In fact, we are marching toward eternal death and hell every second, every minute, every day. We don’t need affirmation nor celebration. What we need is transformation and salvation.
Jesus died on the cross not to affirm or celebrate us just the way we are, but to rescue us and transform us from the way we are.
That’s the gospel. That’s the good news. Jesus died the death we deserve, and rose again from the dead so that we can live with the risen Christ.
So, remember: God could not imagine an eternity without you and me in it. So God sent his Son to die on the cross to make a way for sinners to be transformed into sons and daughters of God. God loves us just the way we are AND God loves us too much to leave us the way we are.
And truly great news!
Praxis: Faith in Action 