Recovering a View of the Cross

How often do we ponder why the cross was necessary? Do we ever think about how it was our sins that put Him there? That even if we only sinned once, it was enough to cause Him to face death and the abandonment of God?
My guess is, you, like I, do not always take the time to ponder the significance of the cross. Though it is an essential doctrine of faith, it is often not brought home to us as individuals. Often it is construed as Jesus dying for the sins of His people, which is entirely true, but it takes away from the essential message of Jesus dying for our own sins of gossip, idolatry, meanness, envy and lust. And even if we had mastered living an outwardly pure life, how often would we be convicted, tried, and found guilty by God of having an impure thought life? Equally sinful are our thoughts, words and deeds.
C.J.Mahaney makes an excellent point in his book, Living the Cross-Centered Life, that each of us were part of the spiritual 'crowd' that yelled, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" when Pilate offered to free Him over Barabbas.
Each day we make His death necessary, and each day we must realize the abundant mercy of God towards us, His children, in sending His own son, part of Him, to die and face ultimate judgement in separation from God, because He considered us as His own sons. Praise God for His amazing act of mercy and grace towards us!

We may try to wash our hands of responsibility like Pilate,

but our attempt will be futile, as futile as his.

For there is blood on our hands.

John Stott

De-sensitizing our Conscience: The Nature of Sin

"If our feelings could be trusted - if we felt good every time we did something good, and felt bad every time we did something bad - we would need neither biblical guidelines of right behavior nor a community to help hold us accountable to those biblical standards. In other words, if we felt lousy every time we sinned, there would be a lot less sinning in the world, And if we felt great every time we did something good and worthy and true, there would be a lot more prayer and giving of charity." -- Lauren Winner, Real Sex

How many times, I wonder, do we come before God to pray, and sinfully think, "I don't really feel bad about anything, so I guess I haven't done anything that wrong. Sure, I've messed up somehow, and I'll ask God for some blanket forgiveness (which supposedly covers everything I don't think of confessing), but there's really nothing that I feel will impair my relationship with God. I mean, if I don't think it's that bad, why would He?"
Hmmmm, lets think about that for one moment---yup, I think the answer would have to be, "Well, because He happens to be God - that all-knowing, perfect being who requires us to live up to His holy standard of perfection - and beyond that, can we, even for one moment, pretend to think that we have a conscience that convicts us of our sin to the extent that we would feel all sin to be wrong?"
The sad fact of life is, because we are sinful human beings, we won't feel bad about every sin we commit, or even realize that we are committing sin. That is just one of the reasons why WE don't determine what is right or wrong, and why the idiom, "If it feels good, do it." doesn't work. What we have to come back to is what God says is right - which is found in one place - His Word (the Bible!). So, perhaps the saying, "Let your conscience be your guide" isn't the best advice in the world - instead, "Let the Bible be your guide", or, as the Psalms better put it,
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (119:105)

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividion of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." -- Hebrews 4:12-13