Over the last two weeks, our church has been learning Nailed to the Cross by Rend Collective . . . and I love this song!

One of my mentors is known for saying that music is "portable theology. . . it's theology we carry around with us." One reason I love this new song is that it exhorts God's people to preach the gospel to ourselves. And then it goes on to very clearly proclaim the gospel that we need to remember.

The title and first line of the song come straight from Scripture (which is where we find our best songs). In Colossians 2:13–14, God says, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross." This is the Good News we must proclaim and remember!

Before we are made alive by God in Christ, we are dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1–5). We have accrued a massive sin debt! Compared with the righteousness that a thrice holy God requires, we fall woefully short. The Bible is clear that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a). But to the praise of God's glorious grace, the Bible is also clear that "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23b). If we believe by faith that Jesus offers grace to forgive us our sins based on His own righteousness (and not our own) and we receive His free offer, He destroys the record of sin that we have accrued. How does He do this? According to God's Word, Jesus emphatically nails it to His own cross! He proclaims over the damning evidence of our sin IT IS FINISHED! PAID FOR! NAILED TO THE CROSS!

My dad likes to say that "Christians leak." That's why we come every Sunday to be reminded of God's grace. This song helps us as we leak throughout the week. This piece of portable theology helps us remind ourselves that God has accepted the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ's body on the cross on our behalf and that we can now stand justified before Him! Praise God that our sin is nailed to the cross. 

Take a listen and remind youself of the gospel: