Complete Unselfishness
The death of Jesus Christ on the Cross is a well documented historical fact. The atonement for the sins of the world accomplished by Jesus' death on the Cross and subsequent resurrection is the foundational doctrine of Christianity. However, the Lord has not drawn me to consider those things on this Good Friday. He has led me to consider the unselfishness of Christ by going to the Cross for me and for the sins of the whole world. The Cross was an act of complete unselfishness.
In order for the cross to be effective as an atonement for sins, Jesus had to leave the glorious environment of Heaven and come to this sinful earth. He had to empty Himself of His God-privileges enough to become human. He was still God, but He volunteered to take on human flesh, so that He could become the perfect God-Man. Only then, would He have blood to shed for the payment for sin. However, there was a lot of limitation and suffering that came from taking on the form of a human. Then, He did not just become a human, but a servant. He came to live and to die for us with no thought for Himself. He followed the Father, and did everything He said, so that He could be our Savior and our example. Then, He took all of the wrath of God against sin, as He hung on the cross dying by the worst means of death ever devised by man. What complete unselfishness, and it was all for me and for you.
I can't thank Jesus enough for His love. The one way I can honor Him is to recognize Him as Lord and to confess Him as Lord before other people. If He is Lord, He is worthy of all of my love, my trust, and my devotion to be like Him. Therefore, Jesus wants me to take His example of complete unselfishness and imitate Him in my life now. That is the way of Christ. That is why the believers were called Christians in Antioch. It was a derogatory name which meant "little Christs." The pagans did not label the believers that way to try to say that they had become Christs. That was not it at all. They meant that they all acted like Jesus. I believe that is the highest compliment for any person, and if we are really like Jesus, we will show complete unselfishness.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 13-16.
In order for the cross to be effective as an atonement for sins, Jesus had to leave the glorious environment of Heaven and come to this sinful earth. He had to empty Himself of His God-privileges enough to become human. He was still God, but He volunteered to take on human flesh, so that He could become the perfect God-Man. Only then, would He have blood to shed for the payment for sin. However, there was a lot of limitation and suffering that came from taking on the form of a human. Then, He did not just become a human, but a servant. He came to live and to die for us with no thought for Himself. He followed the Father, and did everything He said, so that He could be our Savior and our example. Then, He took all of the wrath of God against sin, as He hung on the cross dying by the worst means of death ever devised by man. What complete unselfishness, and it was all for me and for you.
I can't thank Jesus enough for His love. The one way I can honor Him is to recognize Him as Lord and to confess Him as Lord before other people. If He is Lord, He is worthy of all of my love, my trust, and my devotion to be like Him. Therefore, Jesus wants me to take His example of complete unselfishness and imitate Him in my life now. That is the way of Christ. That is why the believers were called Christians in Antioch. It was a derogatory name which meant "little Christs." The pagans did not label the believers that way to try to say that they had become Christs. That was not it at all. They meant that they all acted like Jesus. I believe that is the highest compliment for any person, and if we are really like Jesus, we will show complete unselfishness.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 13-16.