Thursday, October 7, 2021

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you follow in his footsteps... He who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. 1 Peter 2:21, 24

A Savior

There are many who admire the beauty of Christ's life and appreciate Christian morality, but they refuse the idea of ​​being delivered from their sins. Everyone needs not a code of moral rules, but to be freed from their guilt before God ; not of the improvement of what he is, a sinner, but of a new life. Only the sacrifice of Christ on the cross responds to my condition if I believe it. Someone said :

- I don't like your preaching, I don't like the cross. Instead of preaching the death of Christ preach Christ as a role model.

- Of course, there is no better model. But if I preached Christ as an example, would you be willing to follow him ?

- Absolutely.

- Well. So here is the first step for those who want to follow in his footsteps : he was without sin.

- Ah! I cannot esteem myself without sin I have to admit that I am a sinner.

- We must therefore first have Christ as Savior, before having him as a model to follow.

This order corresponds to the normal development of Christian life. The apostle Paul puts it this way :

- First, Christ the Savior : "It is by grace that you are saved through faith, and it is not of you, it is the gift of God. It is not by works, so let no one boast."

- Second, model Christ : "having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has repaired beforehand that we may do them" (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

Source (The Good Seed)