Returning to the Cross
Is our relationship with God one and done, or is our relationship God a series of “do overs” until we die? Perhaps the answer is yes.
On the one hand, many passages in the New Testament describe how Jesus’ death and resurrection provide salvation “once for all.”
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Romans 6:10, “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”
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Hebrews 9:27, “But as it is, he [Jesus] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”
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2 Corinthians 5:15, “And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
Jesus’s death and resurrection stand as God’s exclamation point to His redemptive work. The Cross led to our sins being forgiven and to our reconciliation with God. By faith, we receive the opportunity to experience the benefits of God’s incredible gift.
On the other hand, the reality is that we still sin in “thought, word, or deed” every day. So, we must return to the foot of the Cross on bended knee and ask for forgiveness for those things which we “have done” and those things which we “have left undone.” If you scan the pages of the Book of Common Prayer, you will find our forbearers had the foresight and the understanding of our human frailty to include the General Confession of sin over and over and over in our liturgy. Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer, Compline and Holy Eucharist-all provide the opportunity to lay our brokenness, our sin, at the foot of the Cross. The liturgy recognizes that we are a people in need of “do overs.” To once again say, “I’m sorry” and “yes” to God’s gift of love.
As we move through the Easter season, I invite you to take some quiet time to contemplate the enormity of God’s gift of love and grace. And while Jesus’ sacrifice was “one and done,” i.e., once for all, pause to give thanks that when we come before God with broken and contrite hearts (whether for the first time or the one hundredth time), He is waiting to wipe away the stain of sin from our souls and to enfold us with his love and grace.
