One and Done

This is memorial day weekend and I am a veteran of the Vietnam war. I got to thinking about those of my comrades who didn’t come home. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was deep into thinking about the One who gave His life so that all who believe in Him will “stand in the presence of His glory blameless and with great joy” (Jude 24).  Can you get your arms around that? Death isn’t the end for us; it’s the beginning of blameless with great joy.

 The Old Testament is filled with examples of blood sacrifices and special days of remembrance. The frequency was necessary because it was only a shadow of what was to come—the perfect one-time blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s death on a cross.

As the Apostle John begins

his “Revelation of Jesus Christ,” he reminds us of “…grace to you and peace…from Jesus Christ…who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood…” (Rev. 1:4,5). John 3:16 is commonly called the gospel in a nutshell. You know it, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…”. But this is a close second; it says it all. Jesus loves us and paid for our sins with His blood.

What better time, other than Easter, to remember the most significant death history has ever known. And to consider the cost to Jesus to make a path to eternity for us, with nothing in return. What does He get out of it? It’s all coming our way with no cost to us. Why? To prove His love is more than a sentimental feeling and the only way to impute His righteousness to us so we will be fit for heaven.

If you’re a combat veteran,

I’m sure you can relate to the atrocities that go on in war. We are in a spiritual war for souls. We have an enemy that thought he’d won when Jesus died on the cross. Even Jesus’ disciples didn’t really grasp anything but the loss of their teacher and friend…for three days. Then the “great joy” that awaits all of us flooded their hearts; Jesus was alive.

If you have questions, click to go to the Appendix and read Steps to Salvation. The answers are there.