You may have heard it said that the greatest display of love is the cross, and, in fact, it is an intense display of love. But what makes it such an intense display of love?
1. God shows his love by the intensity of his sacrifice
In Revelation 19:16 Jesus is described as the King of kings and Lord of lords. John 3:16 defines Jesus as the only Son of God. Hebrews 3:18 reminds us that Jesus is eternal and unchanging.
This isn't just some man dying for other men. This is the infinite, eternal ruler of the universe dying for his creation.
We tend to place men at a high place, separate from all other creation, but he true separation is between God and all he has made, including man.
There is a saying that goes:
Christ didn't die for frogs. So he was responding to our value as humans.
This saying implies that we deserved to be died for because we are so awesome. John Piper has a better way of looking at our position as humans:
We are worse off than frogs. They have not sinned. They have not rebelled and treated god with the contempt of being inconsequential in their lives. God did not have to die for frogs. They aren't bad enough. We are. Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it. (50 Reasons Jesus came to Die, p29)
2. God shows his love by the intensity of our unworthiness to be saved
According to Romans 5:7-8 we deserve divine punishment, not divine sacrifice, but that is exactly what we get: divine sacrifice that leads to eternal life.
While we were still sinners Christ died for us!
We benefit from the riches of his grace!
It's true that the cross is a great example of God's love for us. It is an intense example of God's love for us. But remember that its intensity is related to our sinfulness and his sacrifice. Don't let the cross make you proud by thinking, "Jesus died for me!" Instead let it humble you as you think, "Jesus died for me!"
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