Once upon a time, I was frustrated, now I am just sad at what I have continued to see.  People saying things that go against the Bible, not in an attacking way; rather in an evangelicalism (if you can even call it that anymore) way.  I see people who are boasting in their works-or if you rather, thinking that any sort of moral works lead to salvation.

Following a moral way is not going to save you! It just isn’t.

I am not perfect at this by any means, yet I need to daily repent of thinking that some how my moral actions will do anything to save me.

Think about it.

If my moral ways some how can help save me.  If I am not that bad and can work alongside God in any way, then why the cross?  Doesn’t that view lessen the point of the cross?  If I can do something to save myself then why did God come to earth, suffer here as human and die?  Doesn’t that seem like a waste?  Or is it saying that the death of Jesus was not quite enough?  On the other hand we could be saying that we were not that bad, that sin is not that horrible.

Have we looked around us?  Do we see the effects of sin?

In my area people are getting layed off all over the place.  Unemployment is high.  There are shootings and murders that happen in my city.  Good people die in car accidents because of the slippery snow covered ground.  The economy is in bad shape-banks need bailouts-our big 3 car companies need bailouts- you and I need bailouts.  People I know have cancer and are battling.  Marriages are falling apart.  People are dying in wars, famines, by disease and many other things.  

Yet some want to say that sin has not affected us that much!

Are you serious?  Take a look around and if it doesn’t look that bad to you, then look outside your bubble and look at the news.  Sin has affected this world and everyone in it.  The Bible talks about how all humans being dead in their sin.  I heard it said that if you want to see what sin looks like to God, look how disease affects people, look at the complete sorrow of a family that has a cancer patient or a family that has had a miscarriage or someone who lost a spouse in a car accident.  Sin is horrible and disgusting.  

How can we work alongside God in saving ourselves when we are dead? Can we?  How does a dead person help in saving themselves?

So what does that leave us with?  

Either complete and utter despair or hope?  If there is hope where is it found?

In Jesus… I know that is such a churchy/sunday school answer.  Think about it.  Ponder it.  Now ponder Jesus and the cross.  Some might be thinking the cross is a horrible and ugly thing.  How can that be hopeful?  

The Cross is an ugly and disgusting thing… yet so hopeful and beautiful at the same time.  Let that sit there for a minute.  Sin is ugly and disgusting and all of us were dead to it.  Yet Jesus who is God, came to this earth as human, yet was fully God and man.  He lived a perfect life, while suffering and being tempted by sin.  He then was killed upon a cross.  What is the beauty of this cross?  It was that sin has been defeated.  Christ died in our place… for our sins!  God paid the penalty for our sins.

So what is there to boasting it is to be in?  The cross of Jesus Christ alone!  Not in what morals we have followed or what good things we have done.  

What I have done is garbage, except for that which has been done because of the cross of Christ Jesus!  May I not boast in anything except for the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

I hope that you also may not boast in anything other than the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.  May all boasting be in him, for him and to him- for his glory alone.