pearliegates

Now, going back to Morris's The Cross for Christ, which I am still reading for Lent purposes, one thought sort of crossed my mind a couple of days ago which I meant to explore in more depth when I get the chance.

It is something that one of my schooldays friend commented many years ago when I brought her to church. She said that she is not so touched by Christ death on the cross because he knows he is going to die and he knows he is going to resurrect. Therefore, in his dying, there is really nothing special.

Morris's commented in his book that Jesus' atoning death is very different from the other deaths people die. He refers to several passages that link Jesus' death with evil.

Passages include:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Gal 3:13

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Cor 5:21

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
Hab 1:13

So in a sense, what Morris is trying to point out is that: Jesus died a very necessary death, as an atonement and propitiation for our sins. Therefore the fact that he knows he is dying and that he knows he will be resurrected is not an issue here. The issue is that we need the atoning sacrifice in order to live and Christ made that sacrifice for us.

Maeghan
Picture by Ian Britton (c) Freefoto.com