Monday, February 26, 2024
A Radical Situation
For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. (Ephesians 2:14 NLT)
One of the most memorable events in contemporary human history was the fall of the Berlin Wall. Built in 1961, it was a symbol of the tyranny of Communism and its repression of the people under its control.
After World War II, Germany was divided, and the Soviets took Eastern Germany and East Berlin. Ultimately, they built a wall around it, which divided the nation. A number of people tried to escape, and many lost their lives in the process.
In 1987, President Reagan made his now-famous speech there, saying, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, did not do it, but the people of East Germany ultimately did. It was a great moment for freedom when that wall came down.
Going much further back in history, another wall came down that also was a symbol of tyranny and bondage. It was the wall of sin that Jesus Christ tore down because of what He did for us on the cross.
We read about it in Ephesians 2:14: “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (NLT).
It has been said that you can tell the depth of a well by how much rope must be lowered. As we look at how much rope God lowered from Heaven when He sent His own Son to die for our sins, we realize how deep the well really was.
It’s amazing to me how many people so casually consider the claims of Jesus Christ, acting as though they have all the time in the world to sort through various religious ideas and come to their own conclusions. They peruse religious ideologies like they’re looking at a menu and deciding what to have for dinner.
They may start with a small order of Christianity, but they want to hold the guilt on that. Maybe they’ll have a side of Hinduism with a little bit of mysticism thrown in. They think they can pick and choose what they like—or even order à la carte. But they don’t see how radical their situation really is.
What they don’t realize is they’re in the middle of a desert. They’re dehydrated and starving to death, without any resources to purchase food or water. They’re in trouble. But suddenly God appears and sets before them a beautiful banquet table filled with the finest gourmet offerings. And He bids them to come and dine.
Basically, they have a choice: they can eat and partake of what God offers them, or they can refuse to eat and then die because of their decision. But the price already has been paid for the feast. There’s nothing they can do to earn it.
This is the situation of humanity. God has laid out for us a clear path on which to walk and to know Him. And it’s the only way to come into a relationship with Him.
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