Crucified for the Forgiveness of Sin

by: Tammy De Ruyter

One dark night in 1979, Terry Lynn Smith and her boyfriend brutally killed a young couple as they slept in their bed. The murders were exceptionally vicious and bloody, fueled by a drug-induced frenzy. Terry and her boyfriend were convicted and sentenced to a lifetime in prison.

Imagine if there had been no consequences for their crime. Given their lifestyle, it’s safe to assume their murderous nights would have continued. Others would have died.

What if the law was never enforced? Most of us would push aside boundaries in small ways. (Goodbye speed limits!) Many would go farther. Left to complete lawlessness, life and property would be destroyed in every community at an accelerated clip. Ultimately, complete anarchy would wreak havoc throughout the world.

What if there had been no cross? The answer is even darker. Sin would remain unchecked, like a city without laws, unatoned for, unpaid, and unredeemed. Without Christ’s blood “poured out for many,” there is no forgiveness for sins. The hopelessness of eternal separation from the Father would guarantee eternal brokenness and despair.

Praise God for the cross! At every communion service, we gratefully celebrate with bread and wine in remembrance of his death. With John the Baptist we confess, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”