At the Cross

In this article, I am speaking to those who through faith, have accepted Jesus as their Savior and been baptized into his name and received forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is a word of reminder and a call to action. This is a reminder of the life we were called to live and a prompt to get on with it.

"...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!

In this hymn by Isaac Watts, our hope is born. It is at the cross of Jesus that our freedom from the bonds of Satan was purchased. We are not only free when we give our lives to the Lord who gave all for us, be we are empowered to live an abundant life.

At the cross, Jesus became the one time, all sufficient sacrifice for sin that saves us and removes the curse of sin on our lives. Jesus bore that curse on the cross, once for all. By his stripes we are healed. Hebrews 10:10; Galatians 3:13; John 10:10; 1 Peter 2:24.

"...buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:12-15

When Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers (of Satan) he declared us "Not Guilty." He granted us "peace with God." Romans 5:1 and because we are justified by his righteousness no record of our sins has been kept. The slate that tallied our failures and sins has been wiped clean. 2 Corinthians 5:21. He has made us clean and pure before God so that we might live an abundant life and share that life with others. In sending us out, Jesus gave us authority, in his name, to preach and teach and disciple ( that is train) others. He gave us authority to pray for others in the expectation of healing and deliverance from the bondage of Satan. The "accuser of the brethren" is shut down "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." Revelation 12:10, 11. Even demons believe, and shutter!" James 2:19.

Now according to God's Word, in order to escape the snare of the devil and live the full life God offers, (Romans 6:3, 4; 1 Peter 5:8, 9; 2 Timothy 2:26), we must do two things:

1) Repent-->Acts 17:30, 31 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

All men, everywhere must repent, that is change their way of thinking and their actions. This repentance is an admission that I have been in rebellion against God. I have been at war with God and in repentance I am laying down my rebellion and surrendering to his will. This is not primarily an emotional act. It does not depend on my feeling like surrendering to God, but is an act of the will. I intentionally lay down what I have longed for that his will might be done in my life.

2) Forgive others-->“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14, 15. If I am to receive forgiveness I must forgive. I must lay down my resentments toward others, even God and self.

When I have done these things, I am empowered, given authority in the name of Jesus to resist Satan and cast him out! As we read in Romans 8:29-31 "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."

At the cross, and only at the cross, can we say as Martin Luther King, Jr. said: We are "free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! We are free at last!"