The cross is our conversion.

Posted : 16 Jun, 2012 02:34 AM

Bible Reading:



1 Peter 2:22�25



Bible Text:



He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).



Devotional:



Evangelical Christianity is in danger of teaching "cheap grace." We never tire of saying that Jesus died for our sins and that all the bills have been paid. This may encourage a wrong notion: "Oh yes, we are sinners and we remain sinners, but Jesus died for our sins. So there's nothing to pay and nothing to worry about." God is as good as Santa Claus.



This "cheap grace" makes a caricature of biblical teaching.



"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree." For what purpose did he do so? "So that we might die to sins and live for righteousness." Thus, the death of Jesus is for us the end of one form of existence and the beginning of a new life. At the cross we come to the crossroads. We leave one way and turn to the other. We go from sin to righteousness. Christ's death is not only the end of our guilt, but also the end of sin's power in our lives.



"By his wounds you have been healed," Peter continues, quoting Isaiah 53:5. We must not only be forgiven but healed. Christ makes us whole by giving us his righteousness and teaching us to live for righteousness.



Jesus is our Redeemer, our Example, and Healer. A popular hymn says, "On the cross he sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free." The cross is the end of our slavery to sin and the beginning of our freedom to live for God. The cross is our conversion.



by the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

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