Blood

We use words like, “Justification,” “Atonement,” “Salvation.”

They are big, Christian words to say God isn’t angry with us.

Why would God be angry with us?

We know. Don’t we?

If we say, “Sin.” We are right. We are theological, but we are right. Sin is violating God’s Law. Sin is falling short of righteousness.

That sounds so good to me. “Sin” sounds like, “Gosh, I tried really hard, but I made some mistakes.” “Sin” sounds like, “No one can really make it, so whoops, neither did I.”

Sin is not that neat. It is not that sterile.

God created us. He infused us with His image. God loves us. He calls us His children. He calls us His Bride. He calls us His beloved.

But we betrayed Him. We loved everything more than we loved God. We loved our passion. We loved our stuff. We loved our ideas. We loved our own ways more than we loved God.

Betrayal. That is what sin is. It is not a theological problem, it is a relational one. That is why sin is so difficult to overcome. Betrayal is why forgiveness is so costly.

Though we betrayed God, He pursued us. God became a man to demonstrate His continued love for us–He is not angry. At great cost, God sought to re-establish His connection with us. He came to pay the price of reconciliation—the price was blood. His.