Lent (part 2)

Week 1 of Lent has come and gone. And, oh boy, I am learning so much through it. In one little week, I've seen just how often I fail at surrendering control of my life... But by God's amazing grace, he continues to pursue me and gently helps me to loosen my grip on the things of this world. The things that keep me from worship and keep me from laughter and joy and trust. I am so in awe of my Savior, whose love has absolutely nothing to do with me. I am a piece of work, but he continues to lavish His love upon me all the same. Brennan Manning puts it this way:

“He is not moody or capricious; he knows no seasons of change. He has a single relentless stance toward us: he loves us. He is the only God man has ever heard of who loves sinners. False gods — the gods of human manufacturing — despise sinners, but the Father of Jesus loves all, no matter what they do. But of course this is almost too incredible for us to accept. Nevertheless, the central affirmation of the Reformation stands: through no merit of ours, but by his mercy, we have been restored to a right relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of his beloved Son. This is the Good News, the gospel of grace.”

As promised, here are a few more highlights from Piper's book, The Passion of Jesus Christ. May they cause your heart to marvel at the beauty of this humble Savior.

Christ suffered & died...

To Become a Ransom for Many (Mark 10:45) - "No one is excluded from this salvation who embraces the treasure of the ransoming Christ."

For the Forgiveness of Our Sins (Ephesians 1:7, Matthew 26:28) - "The injury done to God's glory by our sin must be repaired so that in justice his glory shines more brightly. And if we criminals are to go free and be forgiven, there must be some dramatic demonstration that the honor of God is upheld even though former blasphemers are being set free. That is why Christ suffered and died."

To Provide the Basis for Our Justification (Romans 5:9, Romans 3:24, Romans 3:28) - "The verdict of justification does not make a person just. It declares a person just... The moral change we undergo when we trust Christ is not justification. The Bible usually calls that sanctification -- the process of becoming good. Justification is not that process. It is not a process at all. It is a declaration that happens in a moment. A verdict: Just! Righteous!"

To Complete the Obedience that Becomes Our Righteousness (Philippians 2:8, Romans 5:19, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9) - "That means Christ fulfilled all righteousness perfectly; and then that righteousness was reckoned to be mine, when I trusted in him. I was counted righteousness. God looked on Christ's perfect righteousness, and he declared me to be righteous with the righteousness of Christ... May Christ be honored for his whole achievement in suffering and dying! Both the work of pardoning our sing, and the work of providing our righteousness. Let us admire him and treasure him and trust him for this great achievement."

To Take Away Our Condemnation (Romans 8:34) - "If the reject us, he accepts us. If they hate us, he loves us. If they imprison us, he sets our spirits free. If they afflict us, he refines us by fire. If they kill us, he makes it a passage to paradise. They cannot defeat us. Christ has died. Christ is rise. We are alive in him. And in him there is no condemnation."

To Abolish Circumcision and All Rituals as the Basis of Salvation (Galatians 5:11, Galatians 6:12) - "The cross means freedom from the enslavement of ritual."