The Central Theme

Christ died on the Cross, in our place, as requested by the Father, setting us free from the eternal curse that we brought upon ourselves, as an expression of His love, then overcame death by raising Himself from the grave, conquering Satan and sin, proving His deity and holiness so that we might believe. This must remain central in our hearts and cannot be forsaken or replaced with any other notion. Minimizing this truth is to mock the central theme of the gospel.

Grace, The Gospel, and Luther

The Luther Rose. This symbol is commonly found in Lutheran churches. As I've been studying the life of Martin Luther and his contribution to the Church I was introduced to the symbolism behind this image. The Yellow Circle surrounding the blue represents the eternal life of all believers. The blue space was Luther's color for eternity spent in Heaven with The Christ. (Sidenote: Heaven is not so much a place but a reality that we will never be physically absent from the Christ). A Christian, because of their redemption, should live with eternal joy, thus the White Rose. The red Heart shows the new life that a person possesses through Christ. And last, but certainly not least, the black Cross. The Cross in the center, thus showing that is central to the faith. Apart from the Cross, everything else represented would not be possible. The new life, the joy, and eternity in Heaven are all dependent on the Cross. Why is it black? To represent the sin that Christ took upon himself to bring the world to the Father. Christ accepted the curse of the Cross as an eternal act of love for us. He did this so that we would become new, joyous creatures elated to live with Him forever. The centrality of the Gospel is Christ and His supreme act of grace demonstrated on the Cross. It is this same grace that restores all of us. I pray that I will daily live in the grace afforded me through the Cross.

Reach

Today as I read Romans I was reminded how marvelous a thing it is to be found in God's grace. It's difficult (if not impossible) to comprehend how God can look upon us with favor, mercy, compassion, love. It is only by GRACE that we can call ourselves sons and daughters of the King. I am thankful that our Father saw fit to reach down into this world and into my life for I know that it is impossible for me to reach Him by any other means. I am thankful that through the Cross God reached to me, a depraved sinner, and saw fit to bring me into a right relationship with Himself. I am thankful that Christ, who was and is God, seeing my desperate need, reached out His arms and completely ended my cursed state. I am thankful that one day Christ will again reach out to me and call me home with Him. Thank You for reaching me.