Truly Justified

I recently read an article that surveyed protestant pastors asking them who they believed to be the most influential pastors of our time. Of course number one was Billy Graham. There were other familiar names on the list such as John MacArthur, Rick Warren, Chuck Swindoll, and Charles Stanley. In all truth, there was only one name on the list of the top ten that I didn't recognize, Barbara Brown Taylor. Being that I didn't know who this was I clicked on her link and was directed to her web page. On her page, there was a link for a website, www.explorefaith.org, that she said spelled out her beliefs. Since this is mostly what I wanted to know, I went to the website. It seemed normal at first, but the more I read the more I began to see how pluralistic this organization was. Pluralistic means they believe Jesus is a way to God but not the only way, and that all world religions are a valid way to God. Many of the churches basic doctrines were being distorted. What struck me the most was an article entitled "What is the significance of the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus?" Their answer to the question broke my heart.

One paragraph really explained their whole though:

"then there's the cross as the once and for all sacrifice for sin. If we literalize that language, as…much of conventional Christianity has done, the only way God can forgive sins is if adequate sacrifice is offered: Somebody has got to be punished, and that person is Jesus. Also only those people who know and believe in that story can be saved. Thus, literalizing that language is a slur on the character of God. If you see Jesus' death as part of the divine plan, as part of the will of God, that suggests that God required the suffering of this immeasurably great man. It is never the will of God that an innocent person be crucified, and to suggest that is to suggest something horrible about God."

Another person said:

"There are a lot of versions of the atonement doctrine in Christian history—The “substitutionary blood sacrifice” version of the atonement is the least compelling theological explanation of the cross for me."

To them it was impossible to see the crucifixion as God's will or part of His divine plan. To them it would have been horrible of God to stand by as His only Son died. They act as if Christ's life was taken from him in a radical political move rather than Christ laying his own life down as scripture says. To believe this about the crucifixion is to disregard scripture.

Yes the cross was gruesome and horrible, but without it we as Christians have no hope. The Bible clearly points out that Christ's death on the cross for the sins of the world was God's plan from the very beginning. And I would also like to point out that if humanity was not diseased with sin the cross would not have been necessary. God is not horrible for allowing Christ's suffering. If anything, it is a display of His great love for us in that "while we were sinners Christ died for us." Christ took the punishment for our sins so we wouldn't have to. The cross will forever be a display of both the seriousness of our sin and God's great desire to reconcile Himself to us, even if it meant the death of His Son. See, Christ IS the only way to God. HE is the only one who can stand before the Father on our behalf. HE is the only one who can free us from our sin. HE is the only one we can trust for salvation. To water down this truth is to destroy the very foundation of Christianity

May we never forget the beauty and the glory of the cross of Christ.