The Contradiction of the Cross

On the eve of Easter, the day when the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated in particular (I say, in particular, because every first day of the week is a remembrance of His resurrection--the Russian word for Sunday is appropriately "Resurrection"), and in a Catholic culture such as Madeira's where Friday and Saturday are days of mourning because "the Savior is dead" (there's a funeral procession every year on Good Friday to bury the dead Jesus), the words in an e-mail today from a dear sister reminded me of the contradiction of the cross.

The cross is the symbol of the love of a merciful God and the justice of a righteous God. A contradiction. Our sister wrote, "Our situation in the church is very sad... For years I haven't heard anything [from the pastor] about sins or the cross, only that GOD loves us, no matter what we do (this is only the half truth). And this has a reason." In her request for prayer for her pastor, I read between the lines... "there is a reason not to talk about sin".

Yes, the cross is the supreme demonstration of God's love for us... (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10)... It is also the supreme demonstration of His justice and holiness; He is so opposed to sin and unrighteousness that He poured out His wrath on His own beloved Son, Who cried out in agony, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Therein is the contradiction of the cross: it is the proof that our every sin has been paid for and we are forgiven--God is Love; it is the awful reminder of why we are not to take sin lightly--God is Holy.