"Secured by Christ on the Cross"

I have been reading over the past couple of weeks a fantastic little book by D.A. Carson entitled "Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus" (Crossway: Wheaton, IL 2010).  I just wanted to share this fantastic quote from it with you pertaining to the absolute centrality of the cross:

"Do we have the gift of the Spirit? Secured by Christ on the cross.
Do we enjoy the fellowship of the saints? Secured by Christ on the cross.
Does he give us comfort in life and in death? Secured by Christ on the cross.
Does he watch over us faithfully, providentially, graciously, and covenantally? Secured by Christ on the cross.
Do we anticipate resurrection bodies on the last day? Secured by Christ on the cross.
Is there a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness? Secured by Christ on the cross.
Do we enjoy new identities, so that we are no longer to see ourselves as nothing but failures, moral pariahs, disappointments--but as deeply loved, blood-bought, human beings, redeemed by Christ, declared just by God himself, owing to the fact that God himself presented his Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins? All is secured by Christ on the cross and granted to those who have faith in him."

What a great reminder of both what we have in Christ, and the fact that the only reason we have it is that we are in Christ. And if you are not in Christ, this is what you're missing. This and much more.

SDG!