“The Man on the middle cross said I could come.”
“The Man on the Middle Cross said I could come.”
Over the Easter weekend, I listened to a three-minute clip of a sermon preached by Alistair Begg, where he addressed our salvation and the mistaken pitfalls some Christians, including myself, make. Mainly that we are saved by grace and faith alone not by fulfilling a spiritual checklist. There is nothing I can do to earn salvation. Alistair Begg begins by stating that we should never talk about our salvation in the first person but rather in the third person. It isn’t what I have done, it is what He has done. No amount of Bible reading, church membership classes, nights of worship, and everything in between can save us. And we cannot figure it out on our own. Now, we should do all the above because we desire to spend time with God and grow in our faith and knowledge of Him. We are not good enough the way we are, but that’s okay. Many current preachers will teach that you are good just the way you are. I disagree with this statement. I am not good enough the way I am, that’s why Jesus came. Because even on my best day, the Bible tells us, “Our righteousness is but filthy rags.” That is why, from creation until today, God knew we wouldn’t be able to save ourselves. So, he sent his Son. I can’t figure things out on my own or fix things on my own. That is why so many people give up on Christianity or concocted a version of Jesus that is devoid of the earth shattering, culture breaking power that He has. To all the self-affirmation crowd who are ready to argue, let me be clear, if you are good the way you are and can self-affirm your way out of any mess, then why did Jesus die? Why bother? See, the church in the West has adopted a false Christianity that tells us that we are amazing just the way we are (someone cue Bruno Mars). The issue with this is it leaves out any rationale for why we need a savior.
Pastor Alistair then recounts the thief on the cross next to Jesus. Can you imagine him walking into heaven and angels asking him, why are you here? He is by all accounts a criminal. He has never read the Bible, because it wasn’t a thing during his lifetime. He has never been to a worship night or Bible study. He doesn’t understand doctrine. When he is asked how he got to heaven, Alistar Begg says the thief responds, “because the man on the middle cross said I could come.”
I can’t be the only one who is constantly trying to figure it all out. I will beat my head against a wall trying to figure something out or fix something only to be reminded that I can’t do this on my own. I don’t know about you, but I am so exhausted trying to figure out life. But, once again, God never asked us to figure it all out. He says, come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest. So, read your Bible, find a good church community, seek Him and grow in your knowledge of Him. All of these are vital to our Christian walk. But never attempt to take credit for your salvation. One day when the angels ask, “how did you get here?” Just respond with, “the man on the middle cross said I could come.”
Here is the clip of the sermon by Alistair Begg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk9wgJBoEd8