1 Peter 1:17-20
“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” vss. 18-19
As the early followers of Jesus moved from place to place with the good news of forgiveness and life, those with a Jewish background used the language of sacrifice to describe what had happened on the cross. It made perfect sense to them. Jesus was the Passover Lamb, the Agnus Dei, and his blood shed once for all meant that they were set free from the futility of the cycle of sin that had enslaved their ancestors. It’s this message of redemption that became the cornerstone of the Christian faith through the centuries. Jesus’ death was the concrete act, rooted in history, that made forgiveness real and free. We who are the inheritors of that message sometimes recoil at its graphic depiction of human sacrifice and some are reluctant to link forgiveness with the cross. Some leaders have even sought to eliminate crosses from their sanctuaries, calling them relics of primitive faith expressions. This preference for a faith without sacrifice generally has resulted in an erosion of power and commitment among believers. True Christianity is rooted in costly grace, the conviction that our journey was launched by a sacrificial act, and that it continues to involve a daily dying to self, even to the point of giving our lives.
Thought for the Day: Why is grace costly?
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