Opinions of Friday, 10 April 2020

Columnist: Kwabena Amankwah

Still crucifying the Son of God

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If they fall away, to be brought back for repentance because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace, Hebrews 6:6

As we celebrate Easter, which marks the period of commemorating the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, I think the most important thing to do is to take a critical look at the extent to which we have allowed the suffering of the Son of God to become relevant or otherwise to our lives, especially our current situation as believers.

Christ died that painful death for our salvation from eternal condemnation. Having been saved, we are therefore expected to become the salt and light of the world, lest we lose our relevance to society(Matthew 5: 13-16).

As the salt and light of the world, we are to offer worthy examples in morally sound living to non-believers, and preserve society from decay through our Christ-like acts.

Unfortunately, we are rather swimming in the ocean of moral decadence, engaged in corruption of all kinds, adulterous acts, backstabbing, envy, fornication and other forms of immorality.

In fact, I agree perfectly with Paul when he says "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of the kind that does not occur among pagans....", as recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:1. Mention any immoral or criminal act, and one cannot differentiate believers from non-believers.

Dear Child of God, whenever we hear or read about the suffering our Lord had to endure from the time of His arrest to the time of His crucifixion, we feel so sorry for Him and wish He had been spared that agony.

But from our anchor Scripture, it is evidently clear that we are still subjecting Him to the same agony we wish He would have been spared.

By our fornication, adultery, corruption, envy, unforgiving spirit, drunkenness, reckless utterances, insults, among others, we are crucifying Him all over again.

This is because we are giving the occasion for unbelievers to mock the Church, which is the body of Christ. By our lack of commitment to the things of God, we are bringing disgrace to our Lord, just as he was disgraced through the crucifixion.

The Lord is not pleased with our conduct because we have deviated from the Christ-like life we were called or saved to live.

Revelation 2:4-5 warns us and accordingly calls us into repentance: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

My fellow Christians, let's use this Easter period to make a sober reflection on our lives as children of God, and also critically assess current happenings in Christiandom. Any objective reflection will lead to the conclusion that we have failed both our Saviour Jesus Christ and society.

We, therefore, face condemnation, hence the need for repentance. All point to the fact that the kingdom of God is near. We have no time to waste. May God grant us the grace to repent and do His will so that the death of His Son will not be in vain.

God bless you, and Peace be unto you. I am a proud Presbyterian, and what about you?