Grave Trampling (Lent 40–2013)

The grave contains Jesus’ cold, dead body on Holy Saturday.  I am grieved at how much grave trampling is going on by those who call themselves Christian.

We’re concluding our Lenten devotional series on The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece in which Paul has been proclaiming,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

The foundation of the Gospel is nothing less than the proclamation of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:25).  Paul builds carefully on this foundation: Jesus Christ, crucified for our sake.  On Holy Saturday the light of Christ is extinguished in the grave so that on Resurrection Sunday and beyond, we can call Him Lord over death, Lord over life, and King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Yet, too many of us want Jesus as our Savior and call ourselves Christian–all the time denying belief in God’s Word (Genesis to Revelation) and refusing to obey Him.  Too few of us want to call Jesus “Lord” and mean it.

Where are you today?  Are you acquiescing to the culture, afraid to take a stand for the Gospel, too young to know wisdom, too old to want to stand firm, too concerned with what your fellow man thinks and unconcerned about what Jesus thinks?  Are you trampling on the grave of Christ? Jesus asked in Luke 6:46:

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”