Be Encouraged Today!

We are all part of the human race. Every man, woman, and child on the Earth belongs to it. For those who believe—those who seek to be Christlike —our belief is in God. And the one thing that connects us to Him, the one thing that made reconciliation, restoration, and reunion with God possible, is the Cross of Christ . We believe that Jesus died on the Cross for our sins. Through that act, we became the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus —through Jesus and what He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary. In believing and accepting what was done for us there, something profound took place: we were clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Himself. Now, when God looks at us, He does not see our sin; He sees the righteousness of the perfect Lamb who was slain, blotting out every transgression. I know I may sound like a broken record, but this is where it all happened for us . This is it. The Cross of Christ is where our focus must remain. It is where our faith must be anchored. A...

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:23 , “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness.” Paul, the author of the epistles— Romans; 1 & 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 & 2 Thessalonians; 1 & 2 Timothy; Titus; and Philemon —was unwavering in the message he proclaimed: Jesus Christ and Him crucified . With this in mind, it is worth asking: when we read Paul’s letters, should we not read them through the lens of the Finished Work of the Cross ? When Paul speaks of faith, belief, righteousness, and life in Christ, is he not pointing us to faith in what Christ accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection? When we return to his writings with Christ crucified as our central focus—and with an understanding of our position in Him—we gain clarity and depth in understanding the message Paul preached. The Word of...

The Cross of Christ As we approach the Christmas Holiday, we will all think about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And yes, I understand that December 25th might not be the exact day of His birth, but what is important is that He was born, He is who the Word of God says that He is, and He accomplished that which none of us could do for ourselves—defeating sin. Throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, various events, rituals, and individuals serve as types and shadows that foreshadow the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. These elements point to the need for a permanent atonement for sin, which is found in Jesus alone. The story of the Bible is the Cross of Christ! It is that important . The Cross of Christ is the object upon which the Word of God is centralized and built. If God deemed it so important to build and centralize His Word on this one object, then why would we not place our faith there as well? Thi...