Title: The Cross Begging For Forgiveness
The first of seven hypothetical sayings: “Forgive us our sins”
1. The Importance of Forgiveness
- Here, we narrowly refer to those who crucified Jesus at the time, but broadly refer to the entire human race living in sin in ignorance of God's love and salvation plan. If a person is not saved and has not received God's forgiveness, God's wrath remains with him and God's judgment after death. Therefore, the most important question in life is “Are you forgiven?” So, at the moment of his crucifixion, Jesus asked God to forgive their sins.
2. The Cross of God's Wrath
- What the cross of Jesus shows is the wrath of God that trembles against human sin. We often say that the cross shows God's love, but that's because the cross was applied to us, and in fact, the first thing the cross shows is God's wrath. In order for the cross to become love for us, Christ bore the iniquity of all of us and suffered the judgment of wrath before God.
- Think of this scene where Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross. He prayed, “Father, forgive their sins.” At the time of that prayer, Jesus was dying on the cross, and the suffering he suffered was something he had never experienced before. In that suffering, Christ was experiencing the wrath that sinners deserve, the stern justice of God.
- However, despite the terrible pain of tearing flesh and breaking bones, His concern was not on His torn flesh, but on suffering humans who crucified Himself and eventually died. Because Jesus knew how great the punishment that human beings will receive, he earnestly prayed to God to forgive their sins.
3. The first thing to do for those who are forgiven
- The reason that we who have been saved live on this earth is so that those who will die under God's wrath without knowing the Lord can know God's forgiveness and lead them into His love. In the old days, we too were people who liked vain things and lived according to their own good things in the darkness of the soul. If we, who used to live like that, hear the gospel, experience the love of Jesus, and live, then the people of this world can do the same.
- If today's church gathers and prays with tears for the people of this world who are in sin, there will be a more successful gospel work in this world, and more people will turn to God. Just as Jesus suffered for the salvation of the world and saved people with the blood that was shed on the cross, so the members of the church with Jesus as their head carry the suffering that Christ suffered in this world and walk that path to save the world. They must be those who preach the gospel to
- The church must first suffer in order to make known the wrath of God to the world, imitating Christ, apart from all corruption and sin. Imagine that your family is under the judgment of God's wrath. We should pray for them to forgive their sins before God, that they may repent and turn to God on their behalf, and not bear the sufferings and sufferings they must endure to make known God's wrath to them. We tell them, “God loves you so much. None of you want to be saved, not perish.” Of course, even if we preach the gospel, they reject it when their hearts are hardened. But if we do not pray for them, how can we dare say that it is because of their toughness that they perish? Jesus melted our hearts that were as hard as them.
4. Christ's patience with reproach
- If Christ did not die to bear the wrath of God for us, we would still be fighting and dying for the resources of this world. The reason we were able to hear the gospel, repent and return to God was because those who met Christ's cross first taught us God's love and prayed for us with tears in pain. What do we have to be proud of? The grace that has called us to be children of God is not through me, but is the total grace of God. So we are people who shouldn't love the world.
- Are we tolerant of reproach against Christ? The life of holding on to the cross not only when it gives salvation and joy, but also when there is nothing but curses, trials, and pains, is the life of nailing the body to the cross every day. Through this, we become people who love the cross of Christ more than this world. 2004-03-07