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- Apr 25, 2006
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Criminal records
'He cancelled the record...against us...by nailing it to [Christ's] cross.' Colossians 2:14
So what do you think of when you hear the words, 'criminal record'? Your Dad's 'Phil Collins' Greatest Hits collection'? A special certificate awarded to those who break the law? Or a long list of sins committed by your good self? However good we may think we are, we're never good enough by 'holy' standards. So you might not be on par with the Kray Twins when it comes to dodgy dealings, but can you honestly say, 'I've never told a lie', 'I've never slagged someone behind their back', 'I've never in my darker moments wished someone would get run over by a bus'?
The Bible says we've all fallen short of God's standards. We've all created our own list of sins, our own catalogue of wrongs, our own criminal record. So what is the sentence for all this rubbish? Community service? Probation? Life imprisonment? Actually, there's no way we could ever serve our sentence. How can imperfect creatures like us satisfy the holy perfect standards of God? The answer is we can't. But we know a Man who can! We know a Man who did. He's served our sentence for us. He's paid our bail. He's got us off the hook. His name is Jesus. When Jesus hung on the cross, a penalty was being paid. A death penalty. Our death penalty. Our criminal record was being wiped clean by the blood of the lamb. Er...praise to Jesus, anyone?
written by Bob Gass
'He cancelled the record...against us...by nailing it to [Christ's] cross.' Colossians 2:14
So what do you think of when you hear the words, 'criminal record'? Your Dad's 'Phil Collins' Greatest Hits collection'? A special certificate awarded to those who break the law? Or a long list of sins committed by your good self? However good we may think we are, we're never good enough by 'holy' standards. So you might not be on par with the Kray Twins when it comes to dodgy dealings, but can you honestly say, 'I've never told a lie', 'I've never slagged someone behind their back', 'I've never in my darker moments wished someone would get run over by a bus'?
The Bible says we've all fallen short of God's standards. We've all created our own list of sins, our own catalogue of wrongs, our own criminal record. So what is the sentence for all this rubbish? Community service? Probation? Life imprisonment? Actually, there's no way we could ever serve our sentence. How can imperfect creatures like us satisfy the holy perfect standards of God? The answer is we can't. But we know a Man who can! We know a Man who did. He's served our sentence for us. He's paid our bail. He's got us off the hook. His name is Jesus. When Jesus hung on the cross, a penalty was being paid. A death penalty. Our death penalty. Our criminal record was being wiped clean by the blood of the lamb. Er...praise to Jesus, anyone?
written by Bob Gass
