2 Corinthians 5:15
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Gone are the days when we should live right just because of the fear of hell fire and brimstone. Indeed, the threat of judgment must no longer be the main motivation for right living. Neither should the fear of being caught be the reason why we shun the wrong and do the right.
Rather, the Cross is our incentive for holy living. Because of Calvary you and I have no right to live in sin. That “right” perished at the Cross because Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).
In fact, at the Cross the love of Christ constrains us to live for Him. There we see that we are not our own and are bought with a price. We are thus bound by the most solemn obligation to glorify Jesus with body and spirit, which are His (1Co 6:19-20).
We know that He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead unto sin “should live unto righteousness” (1Pe 2:24). Beloved, there is nothing more sanctifying than a clear view of the cross of Christ! It crucifies the world unto us, and us unto the world (Gal 6:14). How can we love sin when we remember that because of our sins Jesus died? Surely none ought to be so holy as the disciples of a crucified Lord!
Pastor Josh