THE CROSS

the cross is the heart of the gospel

God is in complete integrity, reliable, honest

-God cannot ignore or deny the sinfulness of man
-man is the complete opposite of God

-total depravity is when every part of us has been damaged and corrupted by sin
-sin =
   -fall short of God's gory
   -purposely step over the line

-consequences of sin is death...spiritual, eternnal

-God is holy, perfectly pure
   -holiness cannot coexist with sin

-God is unchanging
-warth is the only proper response to evil

-God's anger is controlled..not mood-swing, unreasonable

holy love = a love which yearns for sinners while refusing to condone their sins

-justice must be carried out
-no human can bear the punishment
   -substitute must be human
-God Himself cannot die.. He is eternal
   -so God sent His Son, Jesus

-Jesus took human nature, just like a human

-Jesus took flesh and blood and represented all of us

-suffer God's wrath, judgement on human sin

-Jesus' work of salvation was finished once and for all.. God wont be angry with us!

its our sin, punishment that nailed Jesus on the cross

the cross speaks of...
1. propitiation
   =appeasement of God's wrath
   -Jesus died to appease God's wrath

-Jesus let God pour out all the anger

2. Redemption

redemption = God releasing us from bondage and death
   -to redeem something, there must be a price

*we have been ransomed by the creator!
*God who cannot die but died so that we can live eternally

-we are still living in a broken world

3. justification

-justification is God declaring the ungodly to be righteous
-justification is
   -instaneous and complete
   -legal declaration, not a moral transformation

though we may believe in Jesus, we wont be total good, but God accepted us... He sees us covered with the blood of Jesus

-Jesus took our punishment, we take His freedom

4. adoption
-adoption is the highest privilege

what makes Christian special is one who has God as Father!