It’s Grace, Not Law!

“Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” Galatians 2:16-21

Again and again the teaching of the Apostle Paul leads to the central truth of New Testament faith - the cross of Jesus Christ. Some of the most beautiful, costly, and precious jewelry and ornaments which people own have been made to resemble to cross. Miniature crosses carved from olivewood sell like hotcakes from street vendors in the Holy Land. The cross has been tattooed on the arms of sailors and soldiers who hope for luck or protection from danger.

For many, the cross is a symbol of all that is holy. There is a certain reverence which it evokes from men and women - a reverence many cannot explain. But far more than being a mysterious emblem, the cross of Jesus Christ is a visible reminder of the extent to which God went to demonstrate His unconditional love for mankind. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son...” (John 3:16).

We can begin to comprehend the wonder of God’s redeeming plan only as we see Calvary’s ordeal unfold. But the wonder that strikes hardest is that Jesus endured the cross for me. Because of His cross, I am able to call God “my Father.”

Not only a symbol of faith, the cross is the central truth of the Christian faith.