Revisiting the Cross

Whether your favorite criminal justice movie or a real-life courtroom, we are familiar with the intensity of a closing argument.  A trial culminates in a prosecutor and defense attorney each summarizing their case with a final attempt to persuade the jury to rule in their favor. Some include antics and appeal to emotions but the objective is the same. 

As we conclude a six-month study of Galatians, we now come to Paul’s closing arguments.  He has lovingly chastised the church for following false teachers and admonished them on how to live and love by walking in rhythm with the Spirit. He ultimately lands in the most sacred of positions with a reminder that it is all about Jesus.

The cross of Christ makes all the difference.  Paul urges us to position ourselves at the feet of the cross daily. This is more than the place for salvation. The cross is the place for sustenance.  It is in contrast to the cross that we see our old self dead and our new self made alive. This is all made possible by the finished work of Jesus.

As a new creation, we then must measure what we do and what we accept as truth by the cross. It is the standard by which we frame our values, beliefs, goals, and behavior.  We cannot simply come to the cross to be made new and no longer view the cross as applicable to our everyday lives.

The cross made the difference between life and death and it continues to make the difference in our relationships and choices.  We must make much of the cross in our message and in our motives.  I urge you to revisit the cross today and every day in order to live in its shadow and hide in its hope.