Paul told the Galatians that trying to be justified by human effort was foolish! We are judged righteous by our faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. We can't do enough good works to offset the negative.
Paul says we were all prisoners of sin, and we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. (Galatians Chapter 3)
My father, Edwin Louis Cole, wrote a powerful devotional about the exchange that takes place at the cross. He lists the benefits we have from going to the cross. I’m posting those below. And for a discount for Father’s Day, you can get the whole book, A Man’s Guide to the Maximized Life.
The cross changes everything for us. Because of the cross, we are set free from corruption and slavery, and our hearts are renewed with liberty. Because of the cross, a brutal world that offers little to no help for our circumstances is overcome with a spirit of love. Love that sets us free. Hope that is alive. Freedom that gives us our best life. Here’s Dad’s take…
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The cross of Jesus Christ is the place of exchange. When you embrace the cross, you leave different from the way you came. “Take it to the cross” is the banner under which eternal change takes place in our lives.
We take:
Guilt—and leave with acquittal
Repentance—and leave with faith
Sorrow—and leave with joy
Sin—and leave with righteousness
Stupidity—and leave with wisdom
Ignorance—and leave with eternal knowledge
Disease—and leave with healing
Rejection—and leave with acceptance
Impotence—and leave with power
The cross takes an old life and makes it become a new creation in Christ Jesus.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It is the devil’s purpose to keep men like you and me from “taking it to the cross.”
However, Jesus knew—“No cross, no crown!” The only way to redeem sinful man was by His sacrificial death upon the cross.
Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 KJV). He proved His love for us by laying down His life for us on Calvary’s Cross. Only through His redemptive offering can you and I be forgiven of our sins and enter into a covenant relationship with God.
The cross is the source of man’s greatest glory and Satan’s worst defeat.
Sin is exchanged for righteousness.
Death is exchanged for life.
Take it to the cross.
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When Jesus walked the earth, He raised the bar for manhood. To achieve that manhood, we need the cross.
We have a Savior who sets us free. We have a Savior who loves us with a passion. We have a Savior who forms us into real men. Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.
Hope is alive, Hope has a name, Hope's name is Jesus!
Grace and Peace,
Paul Louis Cole
