Lyrics in a popular contemporary Christian song offer this explanation of why Jesus went to the Cross:
“It was all about the love
That was bigger than a life . . .
‘Cause you would rather die
than to ever live without me”
I am in no way implying that Christ’s love for those God would give Him (See John 6)) was not one of the reasons He died for us. There’s a tremendous love element in Christ’s death for our sins! In fact there is NO GREATER LOVE! But is it ALL about love? The song would have us believe that it is by telling us that Jesus would rather die than live without us, as if he’s some sort of love-sick teenager!
To the above lyrics and the ALL ABOUT LOVE theme that is so pervasive in contemporary music (and today’s evangelism), I have a something to say – There’s more!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OBEDIENCE held Christ to the Cross. Over and over again throughout the Gospels we find the theme of Christ’s obedience to His Father. The awesome perfection of that obedience was expresseed in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before His final suffering and crucifixion.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
OUR SIN held Jesus to the Cross. Christ bore our sins to satisfy the law of God. God accepted His death as payment for our sins.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way: and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53 :5,6
“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4
- “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Ezekiel 18:20
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
To say ‘Cause you (Jesus) would rather die than to ever live without me” is not even close!!!!!!! That’s right up there with the sentiment expressed in “God sent his own Son to die because He (God) could not imagine His heaven without us!”
I cannot find that Jesus, or that God in scripture! Can anyone help me out here? What Jesus and what God are they talking about?
The Battle Cry 
Perhaps this is the God so full of love they speak of…
For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
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That would be the one, and I am not for a moment saying he doesn’t. I am justsaying that obedience to his father and our sin ALSO held him to the cross. These days all we ever hear is the love part. And to sap that Jesus went to the cross because HE, GOD couldn’t live without us, is a HUGE stretch of the imagine. God is GOD in all three persons and so far above us that we should we should love HIM so much we RUN to the cross because of his death for OUR sin.
The sentiment that it is ALL about his love for us, places the focus of our salvation on us first, instead of the Glory of God, the firts reason God saves anyone at all. Ephesians 2.
Does that explain my perspective a little better? And thanks for stopping by?
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