<x-tad-bigger>Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread":
Does your heart crave the joy that filled the hearts of the early
apostles? Yes! We are not satisfied with a dull, unenthusiastic,
leaden kind of spiritual experience, common as it may be. What did the
apostles have that we don’t seem to have?
They saw the significance of the cross of Christ! Yes, they also
believed the resurrection of Christ; but the resurrection meant
nothing without appreciating what He had accomplished by His cross.
Billions of Christians around the world all glibly profess that
“Christ died for our sins.” But how and why did He die?
To study for the answer is not an exercise in futility or riding a
hobbyhorse. Paul says, “God forbid that I should glory save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14); and he told the
Corinthians that he knew nothing save Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor.
2:1-3). The light which will yet lighten the earth with its glory will
be a revelation of the significance of that love revealed at the
cross. Something about the cross will yet stir Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism, yes those billions of lukewarm Christians.
Did Christ die (1) only as an alien millionaire stepping in briefly to
pay our legal debt? The word used to describe this view is
“vicarious.” It’s like someone spending another’s time in jail or
paying their fine so they could go free instead. Or (2) did Christ
actually become one of us, the second Adam, and die as us? How closely
did He identify with us? Number (1) is an exchanged transaction; (2)
is a shared experience. Number (1) leaves the human heart cold, or at
best, lukewarm; (2) lights the soul with unending joy. According to
their testimony in the New Testament, the apostles clearly were fired
with (2). If you want that kind of joy, know nothing but Christ and
Him crucified; then His resurrection will mean new life for you in Him.
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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