Every true believer understands that the cross is at the heart of the gospel, and the only means of salvation. But how many of us really understand that it is also intended to be the supreme pattern for all our daily lives?
As evangelicals we are adamant that the cross must remain central to everything. We recognise its primary place in the plan of God, and wholeheartedly accept it as the sole grounds for our salvation. It is a constant source of joy to us, and gives wonderful substance to all our praise.
And yet it is still possible, even with all this, to have a view of the cross that is seriously deficient. In particular, it is possible to fail to see the cross as the great model for Christian living. We can look back to the cross and rejoice in the new life into which it has brought us, but fail to see that it also is the primary pattern by which that new life is to be lived.
