“Once you were alienated from God...but now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight.” (Colossians 1:21~22, NIV)

On October 1, 1998, New York City celebrated the renovation of the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal in mid-town Manhattan. The renovation took two years and cost nearly $200 million. Perhaps the most striking part of the renovation was the scrubbing of the concourse’s interior. One can now see clearly the painting of the breathtaking, starry-night sky ceiling. Eighty-five years’ worth of soot, grime, and dirt had been cleansed. Restorers, however, left untouched a small square of dirt in the northwest corner of the ceiling. This square serves as a reminder of how filthy the terminal had become before being cleaned.

The cross stands as a reminder of just how sinful we had been before we were cleansed with the blood of the Lamb. It stands as...