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"When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly at just the right time. Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6-8 NIV
<Summary>
* The song 'The Love of the Cross' by 정열(Drummer) was composed based on Romans 5:6-8. To better understand this passage, it is connected to Romans 3:23-35.
* "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." - Romans 3:23-25 NIV
* The Bible explains salvation using various concepts, among which the justification found in Romans 3 is one of the core principles of Christian faith. Justification, a legal term, explains salvation as if a judge declares a guilty person righteous.
* Justification means that although humans cannot become righteous on their own before God, they are declared righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This implies that Jesus' righteousness is transferred to us, and through faith, we are recognized as righteous.
* What is the righteousness of Jesus? We should read Romans 5:6-8 again. "While we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. It is rare for anyone to die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6-8 NIV
* Can we die for someone else? Parents might understand this sentiment to some extent. But if it were for an enemy who abused us, could we sacrifice our lives for them? Is it possible? However, Jesus demonstrated his love for us on the cross. He is the only one who came for us, unreachable by our own strength, making him worthy of worship. If we could solve it with our power, we would be the ones to be worshiped.
* Jesus became a sinner bearing the sins of the world for my sins. To be accepted, Jesus had to be forsaken. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins on the cross. "Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:22-23 NIV
* Therefore, Jesus' love is noble. Through the cross, through his merit, and through faith alone, we are declared righteous.
<At The Cross Lyrics 십자가에서 가사>
At the cross, he changed my name
At the cross, he changed my name
From orphan to son, from rejection to acceptance
From sinner to righteous, he changed me
At the cross, he changed my name
At the cross, he changed my name
From curse to blessing, from enemy to lover
From harlot to bride, he changed me
At the cross, he changed my name
At the cross, he changed my name
* How serious must sin be if Jesus, the Son of God, had to come to this earth and die for me?
* First, when it comes to sin, people often see it as just right or wrong behavior, which means they don't always recognize when they're doing wrong themselves. This happens because we hear about really bad crimes in the news, making our own mistakes seem small in comparison. Trying to fix society's problems with laws and rules only touches the surface; it doesn't get to the heart of the issue. Laws keep changing and getting tougher. Imagine what happens when traffic lights stop working; everything becomes a mess.
* Second, the real issue is with our hearts. We all know that what we do starts with what we feel and think inside. The bad things in the world come from people's hearts, just like leaves grow from a tree. Psychology tries to understand and fix our thoughts and feelings. It's useful because it studies how people act and helps us make sense of our feelings using words, but it can't capture the whole picture of our spirit, which is designed by God. That's why it's so important to "guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it," as said in Proverbs 4:23 NIV.
* Third, people try to solve inner issues through religion, searching for a god that fits their beliefs. They rely on this god, meditate, explore themselves, contribute to the world, and try to solve unresolved conscience issues. They attempt to reach the divine realm through their own righteousness and good deeds.
* Fourth, however, the Bible addresses the fundamental problem of sin, similar to the roots of a tree. "There is no one righteous, not even one." - Romans 3:10 NIV The Bible defines sin as the state of rejecting God, pushing Him out of His rightful place in our lives, and living as if we are the center and master of everything. This deep-rooted issue cannot be resolved without addressing the root problem, which affects our hearts and, by extension, the problems of humanity.
* Only Jesus can resolve this sin issue and restore us. When we open the door of our faith to Jesus' love on the cross, the problems of our souls, hearts, and resulting actions will be resolved. The church, where individuals transformed by Jesus' righteousness and values gather, lives out the only truth in a changing world, bringing about the order of God's kingdom in a broken world. This is known as present salvation. Heaven has already come upon us, and we believe that all creation will be fully restored when Jesus returns. Therefore, resolving my sin in Jesus is not simply about believing and going to heaven; it signifies a revolutionary act that means redemption for the whole world.
* The song 'The Love of the Cross' was composed by Jeongyeol (our drummer) Brothers around 2012 when they gained a new understanding of the Gospel. At that time, just thinking about the cross brought tears to their eyes. They wanted to record the overwhelming gratitude and awe in a song, conveying that knowing the love of the cross, a Christian should live according to the will of Jesus Christ. Let's sing it together.
<The Love of The Cross by Urban Pilgrims Music 얼반필그림스뮤직 십자가 사랑 가사>
The love of the cross, that love overflows within me
The grace of the cross, that grace fills my life
Eternal Lord of glory, Your love is great and wondrous
Your plan for me, I will live according to Your will
My life begins at the cross
My life ends at the cross
Life and death are at the cross
Our beginning and end are at the cross
Urban Pilgrims is a Korean church located in Los Angeles California.
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