At One

Recently I read an article explaining the cross as a legal transaction. The author went on to say that God had to kill an innocent person in order to save the guilty. Any theology that pits the Father against the Son is unbiblical. Jesus hushed these lies when He said, "I and the Father are one heart and mind." (John 10:30 The Message)  And again He assures us that He was not forced to lay down His life, "No one can take my life, I will lay it down freely and I will take it up again.” (John 10:17,18).

Did Jesus endure the cross alone? Did the Father desert Him? "In that thick darkness God's presence was hidden. He makes darkness His pavilion, and conceals His glory from human eyes. God and  His holy angels were beside the cross. The Father was with His Son. Yet His presence was not revealed."(Desire of Ages 753.4}

We can trust that God and his holy angels are beside us as well, wrapping us in his glory - never punishing, always healing. This simple revelation of a God seeking to make his people whole again, places the crucifixion in proper light . This light illuminates our view looking back at God's humble incarnation as well as forward to the victorious resurrection. Within this three-tiered framework we behold a father, a son and a spirit - all at one. May it be so for us as well!

- S.N. Belmonte 2010