The body of believers at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Church of Christ believe in the one all-powerful (Isaiah 40, Genesis 18:14), all-knowing God. He is the maker of all things (Psalm 148) and He has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16,17, Romans 8:9). These scriptural beliefs bond us together as a family devoted to serving and worshipping God Almighty.

In love, God created man in His own image. As described in Genesis, Adam and Eve recklessly exercised the gift of free will and were cast out of paradise after just one transgression. Our sovereign God is perfectly pure and absolutely holy (1 John 1:5, Isaiah 6:1-3). Sin is so caustic to God that it takes only one seemingly small sin to destroy fellowship with Him for eternity (James 2:10, 2 Peter 2:4). Like Adam and Eve, all men deserve condemnation because all have sinned against our holy God. This is one of the most important principles that we must glean from His first covenant with man. If man could not live up to the demands of one law in the garden, how would we live up to the call to perfectly obey the six hundred plus commands of the old law (Romans 3:19,20, Galatians 3:10-11)? This first covenant was designed to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). It revealed the impossibility of man saving himself without a savior. Critics often make the following accusation at the God of the Bible, "How could a loving God throw anyone into Hell?". However, if they understood the blazing holiness of God, the question that would then be asked is, "How could this holy God grant any one of us salvation?".

Our God is not only perfectly righteous, but He is also completely loving. The Bible says in 1 John 4:8 that "God is love". It is a true blessing that God's love for each of us is the deepest that it could possibly be and that His love for us never fluctuates in any way (Malachi 3:6). He is always and forever perfect in all His qualities (Hebrews 13:8). Ephesians 3:18-19 teaches us that God's love surpasses knowledge and that it is indescribable and inexpressible. Even if we devoted the rest of our natural lives to searching out the depth of God's love for us, and this became the sole purpose of our entire existence, we would still fall short of grasping the immensity of our Father's love. Thankfully, God has intense, deep feelings for each one of us (Psalm 103) and because of this love for us, God found a way to save us.

The solution to our dire situation could not in any way even appear to minimize or condone sin. God must always uphold the integrity of His holiness. The only solution that would equally demonstrate His love and holiness, was the offering of Himself (in the form of his Son) to be crucified. At the cross, we see the most intense love demonstrated (Romans 5:6-8). Crucifixion was a hideous way to die, yet God purposely chose this brutal form of death for His Son (Isaiah 53:10), so we would be convinced of the depth of His love.

The cross is also an equal demonstration of God's justice — His wrath against sin (Romans 3:25). God's zealous hatred against sin is clearly demonstrated when Jesus (His perfect Son) was screaming for relief. As Jesus cried out in anguish (Matthew 27:46), God (His loving father) turned His back on His own Son. If ever God would have eased up on sin, it would have been at the cross when His innocent Son was begging for relief from the consequences of our sins. The creation may reveal the power of God (Romans 1:18-20), but the cross reveals the character of God. The cross demonstrates that God's love for each one of us equals His love for Jesus. The cross is the pinnacle of all God's works. It shows us the very heart of God. The crucifixion of Christ as no other achievement of God defines who God is. When one comes to grips with the truths of the cross, he is filled with the deepest security and is powerfully motivated to please the Lord. When understood, the outrageous story of the cross will never leave a man the same. Everything in life will be looked at differently.

The cross is very powerful (I Corinthians 1:18). It accomplishes in us, through Christ, all that our good intentions and efforts fail to do. The cross totally perfects the faithful disciple (Colossians 1:21-23, Hebrews 10:1-18, I John 1:5-10). The cross doesn't just improve us or make us better, it makes us "holy in His sight". This is the unbelievable part of the good news. Amazingly, the Bible teaches us that sin never touches the soul of a faithful Christian again (Romans 4:7-8, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) and even though we stumble through grace we are "kept blameless". This is why we can approach the unapproachable God with freedom and confidence (1 Timothy 6:16, Ephesians 3:12).

This is the God whom we love and worship. This is the God we stand in awe of. Because of the cross and His outlandish love, we can now gratefully walk in His presence with all confidence and joy. This is the God we serve and we must strive to always remember that He deserves our deepest love and wholehearted reverence. Let us thankfully worship and gladly obey our Holy Father in Heaven. Amen!