Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15, NIV 1984).
My Musings – I have a former colleague, and still friend, that almost weekly is called upon to sound taps at military funerals. It used to be mainly for veterans of WWII. But those are now few. The “greatest generation” now relegated to black and white newsreel footage and medals treasured by family. Taps sounds now mainly for their younger brothers and sisters (Korea), children (Vietnam), grand and great grandchildren (Iraq and Afghanistan). A stark reminder that what comes free to many cost others a great deal.
While these men and women did not fall in battle like many of their comrades, they carried scars into civilian life that bore witness to the heavy price that must be paid to be free. For some the scars may have been noticeable for all to see. For others, they carried the scars deep within. They haunted their dreams and never fully left them long after the battles had been fought. A burden carried by so many, but few in comparison to the countless others who were set free or remain free because of their sacrifice and the sacrifice of those who never came home.
Freedom from sin, freedom from condemnation, cost the Godhead a great deal. The Son willingly fell in the conflict to set us free. A price He was neither obligated to pay, nor a price He could have been expected to pay. But He did. We can never fully comprehend what He went through on the night of His betrayal, the day of His execution, or the time His body lay in the tomb.
But He paid full price, for the multitudes otherwise condemned to an eternity in Hell. Yes, Virginia, there is a hell. But for those set free, there is also a Heaven. And the only scars in Heaven will be on someone else’s hands. Yes, “the only scars in heaven, they won’t belong to me and you. There’ll be no such thing as broken and all the old will be made new. And the thought that makes me smile now even as the tears fall down, is that the only scars in heaven are on the hands that hold [us] now.” (Casting Crowns).
My Advice – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so, he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met.” (Romans 8:1–4, NIV). Have you been set free? Are you “in Christ Jesus?” If not, you must pay the price. I think free is a better deal.
The Brew Is A Musing 