I Started a Fight (con't.)

Episode 4: The Phone Call

(You may want to read Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3 to learn the back story.)

As we pick up the story, I am just waking on the Thursday morning after I attended an evening Bible study with my sister at her church. During the study, I had a short discussion with the teacher over the reason God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. The teacher had disagreed with me strongly, calling my view that God planned from the beginning for humankind to fall “twisted theology.” But it had been a short discussion and I hadn’t pushed my point much. I assumed, as I left, that the discussion was over.

But I was wrong. I woke Thursday morning to the sounds of the phone ringing. My sister took the phone call, and I could tell it was from the teacher of the previous night’s study. I could also tell he was at least animated, if not agitated, and he wanted to continue the discussion.

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Cross Quotes: April 6

(Scroll down for updates with quotes that are posted on other blogs during the day.)

They Are the Murders of Christ!

A sight of Christ on the cross will cause us to hate our sins. If you ever, by the eye of faith, see Jesus Christ dying for you, sin will never be sweet to you again. What was it slew our blessed Lord? It was our sin! “It was you, my sins, my cruel sins, his chief tormentors were; each of my crimes became a nail, and unbelief the spear.” When we discover that our iniquities put our dearest and best friend to death, we vow revenge against our iniquities, and henceforth hate them with a perfect hatred.

Let me illustrate this very simply—Here is a knife, with a richly carved ivoryhandle, a knife of excellent workmanship. Yonder woman, we will suppose, has had a dear child murdered by a cruel enemy. This knife is hers, she is pleased with it, and prizes it much. How can I make her throw that knife away? I can do it easily, for that is the knife with which her child was killed. Look at it; there is blood still upon the handle. She drops it as though it were a scorpion; she cannot bear it. “Put it away,” says she, “it killed my child! Oh, hateful thing!”

Now, sin is such a thing—we play with it until we are told it was sin that killed the Lord Jesus, who died out of love to us—pure, self sacrificing love. Then we say, “Hateful thing, get you gone! How can I endure you?”

See there the wounds of the Son of God; behold the crimson stains which mark his blessed body; mark the thorn-crown; gaze upon the pierced hands; weep over the nailed feet; see the deep gash which thelance made in his side! Sin did this cruel work, this bloody deed!

Down with our sins! Drag them to the cross! Slay them at Calvary! Let not one of them escape, for they are the murderers of Christ!

—Charles Sprugeon in his sermon Ephraim Bemoaning Himself

During this week in which Christians commemorate Christ’s death and resurrection, I plan to post daily quotes about Christ’s work on the cross. You are invited to join me. Just post a quote having to do with Christ’s death and/or resurrection and let me know about it in a comment here or by emailing me using the Contact link right below the header. I’ll link back to your post.

I think it’d be a wonderful thing to saturate our corner of the blogosphere and beyond with the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Update on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 2:02PM by rebecca

• At Plain Ol’ Vanilla, we have a quote from Philip Ryken on why the cross was not offensive to Jesus.

Update on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 5:11PM by rebecca

• At Hiraeth, Kim has posted a quote from Jonathan Edwards.

Cross Quotes Coming

Last year, every day during the week before Easter/Resurrection Sunday, I posted a poem about the cross and invited you to join me in posting Poetry of the Cross. This year I plan to post quotes about Christ’s work on the cross. Once again, you are invited to join me. Just post a quote having to do with Christ’s death and/or resurrection and let me know about it in a comment here or by emailing me using the Contact link right below the header. I’ll link back to your post.

I think it’d be a wonderful thing to saturate our corner of the blogosphere and beyond with the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection.