In the 11th century, a wise Christian by the name of Anselm wrote a small book called Cur Deus Homo, Why God Became Man, and in it he offered a straightforward interpretation of salvation. Anselm said that only man should solve the problem of sin—but only God could. Who ought to suffer the consequences for the mistakes and crimes of human beings? Human beings, of course. But the problem is, we cannot really pay for our own sins. We were designed as creatures of perfect goodness and nobility. So every failing, every negligence, every assault against another person puts us deeper and deeper into a moral deficit. No one can make up for all that.
No one, that is, except God.
Only man should solve the problem of sin, but only God could. And so God became man. Now Christians don’t believe this because it is a neat, logical solution. It is, rather, because of the whole eye-opening, mind-blowing, assumption-shattering experience we have had with Jesus Christ since he came. Jesus’ claims about why he came, in other words, have proven true many times over in the lives of countless human beings from almost every culture in the world.
The weeks leading up to Easter are a great time to grow in the knowledge of Christ as Savior and Lord.
Philippians 3:10 says “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead.” This is what we need today!
You are invited to receive via email a three-week daily devotional I have written, focussing on the Christ who died and rose for us. It begins March 22.
“Knowing Him: An Easter Devotional” is your opportunity to grow in the grace and power of Jesus. Use the link below to sign up. If you get the message “Update Your The Brook Network Profile,” just follow the steps it indicates.
