Love and Hate

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13 ESV)

A curse, can you imagine? The Son of God, God in the flesh, became a curse. He who knew no sin became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Why? Why would the King of Kings leave His throne to become an outcast, a curse? You, quite simply Christ, did it for you. The suffering, the beating, the mocking, the iron penetrating through His body, He did it all for you.

For the last few days, I have written about the love of God. Such a wonderful love. However, we can never put aside the wrath of God. Christ died to save you from the wrath of God. To save you from Himself. We know this to be true as Jesus told us this fact Himself, “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” (John 5:22-23 ESV). 

Often, people get this wrong; they think Jesus died as a ransom to Satan. Nothing could be further from the truth. Satan will lead you to the door of hell, but it is God who has the power to send you there. We are saved by God, for God, and from God. People either flourish over this fact, or they hate it. There is no middle ground. I have had people tell me their God could never hate. I usually tell them they have a problem them because the God of the Bible hates. Just read Psalm 5, and you will see what I mean.

It was God’s plan from the beginning. Christ would crush the head of the snake. It was a mutual decision within the Trinity. Each person of God contributes to the plan of redemption. The implications of this are explicit, and Deuteronomy 21:22-23 clarifies everything.  “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God."  God had cursed His Son, who became the propitiation that saved the world. God brought it about, and Christ finished it. To fulfill Deuteronomy even further, Joseph of Arimathea received permission to bury Jesus, and both He and Nicodemus took Christ off the cross, anointed Him, and buried Him.

This is the gospel. Christ came to earth, God in the flesh. Christ preached the kingdom of God and that God had come near. He was persecuted, tortured, murdered, and hung on a tree. Becoming our sin, He died and was buried rising in an eternal body, later ascending to the Father. In defeating death, Christ opened the door to heaven for all who believe in Him. This truth is the truth that sets the sinner free from sin. The truth that removes a heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh able to love as Christ loved.

If you have walked with Christ for any length of time, it is impossible to think about His sacrifice and not become visibly upset. I cry tears for Christ, tears of sadness for the sacrifice He made mixed with tears of joy that he loved me so much that He willingly made that sacrifice. Testifying to the things Christ has done for you will bring you to tears, and it should. There is no greater love that saves us from the greatest wrath of all.

If you do not know Christ, do not wait a moment longer. Ask Him to become your Savior, repent your sins, and start walking towards Him. He is the narrow gate.

Peace and Grace!