"The new cross does not slay the sinner; it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self assertive it says, 'Come and assert yourself for Christ.' To the egotist it says, 'Come and do your boasting in the Lord.' To the thrill-seeker it says, 'Come and enjoy the thrill of the abundant Christian life.' The idea behind this kind of thing may be sincere, but its sincerity does not save it from being false. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross. The cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a person. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him to newness of life. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die. God then bestows life, but not an improved old life. Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God's just sentence against him. How can this theology be translated in life? Simply, the non-Christian must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God's stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die."
-A.W. Tozer
As you know, I am a lover of quotes myself. This one is one of my favorites. But, I've got to say, brother, you started this blog off with a bang! I mean, you already have a library of thoughts just waiting to be read and reread! Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks brother, I wanted to give everybody something to enjoy right off the bat, instead of waiting for the site to eventually build up over time. I was originally going to wait until I had 365 post but at 200 post I changed my mind :)
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