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Cards on the table, we’re talking about the cross and the models there of.

One of the things as a younger Christian I couldn’t understand was how different people could talk about the cross in such different ways. What was worrying to me was that when ever people spoke about it I tended to agree, even when it seemed to go against that which I already knew.

Let me explain, one week I’d be convinced by preacher that the cross was about God demonstrating his love for us. He’d quote scripture, use illustrations etc. and I’d think to myself, “Yeah, that’s true. The cross really does show us how much God loves us. Good News Indeed!” (I was, still am, a bit of a nerd.) Then the next week say, some form of travelling band man would say about how the cross was God’s way of setting us free (that’s liberty by the way) free from the fear of death, free from the chains of sin etc. and again I’d find myself saying, “Go Spell!” Then the next week I’d be speaking t o some person handing out fliers on the street and they’d explain in detail to me how Jesus death on the cross payed a price, not to the devil, but to God for the wrong I’d done against Him by breaking His law. “Lucky I got Jesus.” I’d go away thinking.

And then I’d ask myself the question, “Am I really so easily swayed, do I just believe the last thing I’ve been told?” I quickly realised that no, I don’t. 

The reason that all three ‘models’ of the cross had been so easy for me to accept is because they were all true. All backed up by large amounts of scripture and that common sense filter my brain runs everything through. The cross was about Love, demonstrating God’s Love for us and an example of how we should love others. In a sense that’s what the cross does for us. The cross was about Law, paying off the debt we have against the law. IN a sense that’s what the cross does for God. The cross was about Liberty, freeing us from the fear we might have of death, the power of sin and the devil. In a sense that’s what the cross does to the devil.

I wasn’t simply ‘easily swayed’ but convinced by the truth of scripture. The cross was, and IS, all of these things…and more! When I realised this…BOOM…the top of my head almost came off. The cross has accomplished so much!

Something we love to talk about here on proGnosis is the atonement, that fits nicely into my ‘law’ category. It’s vital that we don’t forget this one because without it, we’re stuffed. We can know all we want about God’s love, but unless we’re rescued, we’re stuffed. We can know all we want about being freed from the chains of sin, but unless previous sin is dealt with, we’re stuffed. That’s why we emphasise it so much, because it is crucial!!! Hopefully we wont react so far the other way that we forget the Love and the Liberty bits.

But there IS a problem with focusing on just Love, or just Liberty.

Those who speak about becoming a Christian as an opportunity to ‘live the best life you can live!’ really miss the point, we have all sinned and fall short of the standard God expects from us. Those who speak about ‘cuddling up to Jesus at nap time’ really miss the point, because God does NOT love filthy retched sinners who can do nothing about their sin.

I think the real problem with both groups is that in a very large sense, they are right! Scripture backs them. But when we allow it to limit our thinking we shut out so much more scripture, we chuck it on the scrap heap because it doesn’t feel right to us.

The trend at the moment is to say the Cross just shows us God’s love because if it actually fulfills some ‘punishment’ function then it’s evil and cruel to the poor victim Jesus. So lets suppose the Cross is illustrative rather than constitutive, that the cross was a chance for God to just show us his love but doesn’t really achieve anything. Then isn’t it even more cruel? Isn’t it even MORE evil and twisted? Why would God put Jesus through such pain, such agony, such humiliation just to show us something?

What it boils down to is a misunderstanding of ALOT of things, authority of Scripture, Jesus choice in the matter, our own sin, God’s justice…the list goes on. My plea? Celebrate the cross for ALL it has done for us! Don’t box it in, don’t limit it, let’s spend our time finding out more and more about what Jesus did on that historic day!

This afternoon I went on the radio to talk about sex, or rather no sex. Following an article that appeared in the Independent last week which stated that the Bush government’s drive to promote sexual abstinence was coming to an end due to it simply not having any effect, the BBC’s Welsh language station Radio Cymru rang asking if I’d be willing to make a comment about it. The column in question said

“Last week came the “shocking” news that President Bush’s $1bn abstinence campaign has failed. Despite its shaming slogans like, “Would you eat a cookie that already had a bite out of it?”, the Department of Health found no evidence that programmes such as the Silver Ring Thing affected rates of sexual abstinence.”

And it isn’t just on the American side of the pond. Another article, also in the Independent, talked about findings in this country on the same topic - “A new report from Ofsted, the education watchdog, concludes: “There is no evidence that abstinence-only programmes as the only education reduce teenage pregnancies or improve sexual health.”

So what have we gathered? That young people like sex - love it. Hardly worth spending a billion finding that one out, was it? No matter how much they try, people just can’t stop wanting sex, and doing it. No matter how intense the campaign to promote abstinence, young people, just can’t do it.

And that’s pretty much what I said on the show. Sex is good and fun and natural - why would people not do it?

Now, of course, as a Christian, I have some pretty clear opinions on the subject - Sex is good, but for the person that you marry. If you don’t have those bits, don’t think about them. Until that person is your spouse, they are your sibling in Christ, and doing stuff with a relative is beyond wrong. So keep all the bits kids play ‘you show me yours and I’ll show you mine’ with covered up until God says that you are one flesh.

‘One flesh’ is the Bible’s way of saying, married. Sex is the reward for promising to love and honour and care for a person from the day you’re married until the day God calls one of you to glory. Between these two (fairly) massive events in your life, sex is to be enjoyed. God’s even dedicated a book in the Bible to the subject of enjoying sex. What I was hoping to get across on the show this afternoon was not that the Bible (and therefore Christians) is anti-sex, God is very much pro-sex, but only when it’s done on his terms.

As a Christian, it doesn’t surprise me to read that the Abstinence programme that Bush’s government implemented and funded didn’t work. What did surprise me is the way that the news was reported. “Success of abstinence in cutting teen pregnancies is a ‘myth’” was one headline that I read (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/01/nsex01.xml).

Hang on a minute… ‘Success of abstinence in cutting teen pregnancies is a ‘myth” - am I reading that properly? Is the paper honestly telling me that it’s a myth that teenagers can avoid getting pregnant by abstaining from sex? Isn’t the best way to not get pregnant by not doing the sex thing? Whilst we’re on the subject, surely the best way to not catch an STD is to not T the D by S?

Of course, this is not what the paper is saying. The ‘myth’ is that the teenagers are abstaining from sex in the first place. No matter how much money is spent on encouraging them to not do it - why should they not, when they find out how good it is?

You see, it’s a question of motivation. Sex is too powerful to simply give up, too good. When you refrain from sex for no other reason other than ‘your own well being’, you simply ain’t going to be able to do it. Instead what’s needed is a motivation that’s bigger than even the fear of catching a baby or a very nasty itch. And the only thing that’s big enough is God. When He’s your motivation, you can.

As I’ve been writing, I’ve been thinking about why people want sex on their terms. Now the good old fashioned reformed answer would be ‘because we are all depraved sinners’, but I don’t think it’s as simple as that. What is it about sex that makes sinners want it on their terms, and not God’s?

Might it be a longing for the high you get from love, but without all the faff of ‘is this the one?’? I’m sure that for a lot of people it would be - they know that love will satisfy them, and they (rightly) see sex as the physical sign of the love that people desire so much.

And of course, we live in a world where we ‘get’ instantly, and we’re used to taking the short cut if there’s one available. So if you want coffee, but without having to wait to grind the beans - instant coffee. ‘You want credit but without all the form filling? Et viola! Internet instant credit!’

You want love but without the wait? Sex. The only problem is, no matter how much you get, it will never satisfy you. And you know what? The bit that’s really going to get you is that even if you find that one partner that you remain totally monogamous with, you’ll still not be satisfied. Deep down, there’ll be a part of the satisfaction that’ll be missing.

Do you want real love? Even when you’ve been at your most deplorable, God has loved you. Even when you have told him that you make the decision in the life that he gave you, God has loved you, and has given himself for you. No matter how broken or dirty your heart is, Christ died to let you experience love that satisfies. His love is instant, and eternal, sustaining and satisfying.