I want to write this while it's on my mind fresh from today's lecture. We were discussing how people sometime respond to the saving power of the cross by thinking that, since Christ paid the price, we can act any way we want and still be "under grace." However, my Professor, Dr. Todd Campo, put things in a new perspective for me. He said, "Imagine that you, a Christian believer, are walking down whatever main interstate you are familiar with. Now imagine that a mack truck 18 wheeler is coming at you at full speed. You stand there unable to move, sure that you are going to die, and then Jesus comes and pushes you out of the way, being Himself smacked by the full speed truck to take the brunt for you. And, how should you then respond, by turning around and saying, "Oh, thanks, now I can go out and live however I want bc I am forgiven?" Surely not! You respond by saying, "How can I serve You? How can I ever begin to repay the sacrifice that You made so that I can live?"
I don't know about you, but this imagery really touched my heart. Sometimes, actually the majority of my life I live as a selfish, wretched sinner only looking out for myself. But, I find myself longing to see that image of Christ on the cross (or being hit by a mack truck, whichever most speaks to you) so that I will not for a single second forget that sacrifice He paid. That is what's in my heart: to see that image and live it out in a way that ALWAYS shows love toward Christ and toward His people. It doesn't always come out that way, but we won't ever be perfect here on Earth. It's the journey and the try and the spirit of what's in your heart that Christ desires. So, what's your image of Christ? What is it that helps you to hold that memory in your mind every second of every day to show Him that you will live out what He has called us to do?
We also went further to discuss the text from Hebrews 6, where it says
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."
Is it okay to fall into sin? Is it possible to lose salvation? Do we do things that are sinful, knowing that coming back and "repenting" is all we have to do to be forgiven, since Christ's grace covers all sin? Are we not just nailing Him to the cross (running Him over) over and over again? Can you bear that load, to say that you don't mind killing your Savior repeatedly and shaming Him publicly?
Whew...I guess I am no theologian. Just a lost soul in desperate need of a Savior. But, while I feel at times like these that I don't know much, I do know that I don't want to bear the burden of telling my Savior that what He did was not the Ultimate Sacrifice. His grace is sufficient for me and I am humbled to claim that grace.
