1st John 3:16, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
What
a wonderful Savior! Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed
a debt we could not pay. Calvary ... what a precious word,
is mentioned only once in God's Word in Luke 23:33, "And when they were come to
the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the
malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left."
There's a rich heritage that has it's basis in the Biblical term Calvary.
The Greek word for Calvary is kranion, and means, "a skull." The word comes from the hill where Christ was crucified in Israel, where a natural skull is clearly visible in the rock (see actual photo to left).
Interestingly, it is from this place where the Skull and Bones occult group get their emblem—the skull being symbolic of rebirth, and the bones a symbol of the Cross.
Bonesmen are said to be "born again" into their Order of Death, i.e., the official name of Skull and Bones (a demonic organization). Of course, Satan is the god of this sinful world, and has many followers and loyal servants.
The term Calvary has been precious to believers who use the King James
Bible for hundreds of years.
Jesus, who knew no sin, became as sin; that we who knew no righteousness, could be made the righteousness of God... "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Calvary is representative of the loving Savior who died for us miserable wretched sinners who deserve to burn in Hell.
The Bible declares all mankind GUILTY! ...being under the condemnation of God's Law (Romans 3:19).
This truth is clearly evidenced in the powerful hymn, At Calvary (which you are now hearing), by William R. Newell. Here are the lyrics, which are familiar to those of us who grew up in old-fashioned King James Bible loving churches...
Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.
CHORUS:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.
Compare the powerful message conveyed in the words above to the songs of TobyMac, a CCM superstar (and total disgrace to the name of Christ). It is clear from the words of At Calvary that the author knew he was a guilty sinner, who had violated God's Law, and saw his desperate need for Christ who died at Calvary. At one time, tobyMac was a featured celebrity at Christianpunks.com (website has since vanished).
Tragically, the word Calvary has been completely stricken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Today's wayward churches have fallen for the modernistic idea that a younger generation can only be reached with Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). With modern music has come a modern worship that eliminates the precious old hymns of the faith! Today's "worship leader" is nothing more than a religious social worker.
Many
of today's apostate churches are preaching a perverted gospel that makes light
of the liquid blood of Jesus. Such religious liberals, as John MacArthur,
teach that Jesus blood is only important in that it represents Christ's death.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Notice what the death angel was looking for in Exodus 12:13... "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." Carefully notice the words ... WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD!
The dead lamb wasn't enough... the blood had to be applied! Oh!, Listen friend, it's the BLOOD of Jesus that takes our sins away, not just the death of Christ. The King James Bible says in Colossians 1:14, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Tragically, if you have a corrupt NIV, then the blood has been removed from this verse. Yes, Jesus needed to die, be buried, and rise again, but it was all so the blood could be applied in Heaven!
What reason would we have to sing a song like At Calvary if we didn't know the term? Well, the term is GONE from the NIV, TNIV, and the NIRV! The only reason why anyone today knows about Calvary is because of the old faithful King James Bible. Satan is relentlessly trying to cut away at the roots of Christianity. If the Devil can change (Romans 1:25; Galatians 1:7) the truth into a lie, then he can blind more people from getting saved (2nd Corinthians 4:4). Let us stand true and faithful by the King James Bible, which correctly preserves the meaning of the originals in English today.
