Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. I'm Pastor Loren Christensen, and today, we delve into a theme central to our Christian faith, a theme that lies at the very heart of Lutheran theology: "The Cross and Christ Crucified."
To explore this profound topic, let us turn to the Scriptures, and in particular, to the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV):
"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
The cross of Christ, my dear friends, is not merely a historical event but the epicenter of our faith. It's the place where God's divine love and justice intersected with human rebellion and sin. It's the place where Christ's sacrifice satisfied God's righteous anger against our transgressions, paving the way for reconciliation and salvation.
In the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, we witness God's love poured out for us in the most profound way imaginable. Christ, sinless and blameless, took upon Himself the punishment we deserved. He endured the agony of the cross, bearing our sins upon His shoulders. This act of selfless love demonstrated God's mercy, grace, and His unending desire to restore us to Himself.
The cross reconciles us to God. Through Christ's atoning sacrifice, we are no longer estranged from our Creator. Instead, we are invited into a relationship of grace and forgiveness, where we can experience the transformative power of His love.
In Lutheran theology, we emphasize the centrality of Christ crucified. We believe that it's through faith in Christ and His redemptive work on the cross that we are justified before God. It is not our works, but God's grace alone that justifies us. As the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV):
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
As Christians, we are called not only to believe in the message of Christ crucified but also to proclaim it to the world. In 1 Corinthians 1:23 (ESV), Paul states:
"But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles."
Despite the world's objections and misunderstandings, we are called to boldly preach the message of Christ crucified, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
In closing, my dear brothers and sisters, let us never underestimate the profound significance of the cross of Christ. It is our anchor in this turbulent world, our source of hope and salvation. Let us embrace it with gratitude and share this life-transforming message with a world in need of redemption.
Thank you for joining me today. May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, and may His crucifixion always be central to your faith. Amen.
コメント