The Cross

Crucifixion was a means that the Romans often used to execute criminals.  It was a slow, shameful, and excruciatingly painful way to die.  It became a symbol of defeat.  When Jesus died on the cross, He died a criminal’s death.  But he had committed no crime, neither against man’s laws nor God’s.  Why did God allow Him to die a criminal’s death?

 

When Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied God’s justice and solved man’s sin problem.   God cannot allow sin to pollute His holy heaven.  All of mankind has sinned.  Sin must be judged if God is a holy and just God.  A criminal must pay for his crimes.  We are the criminals because we have sinned.  But we cannot pay for our own sins.  We are not able to erase one sin that we have committed, no matter how much good we try to do.  Therefore, God is just to condemn us to an eternity without Him.  

 

But God loves us.  He doesn’t want to condemn us.  Instead, He wants to have fellowship with us for eternity.  So Jesus, who did not sin, was condemned in our place and died on the cross to pay for our sins.  In Him we are not condemned.  When we place our faith in what Christ did on the cross, Jesus forgives us and blots out all of our sins.  He gives us eternal life.  His cross became a symbol of victory because He rose from the dead.  

 

As we identify with Christ’s death and life, we experience victory over death and new life in Christ:

 

          There is death to the past.                   There is life to the future.

          There is death to sin.                          There is life to righteousness.

          There is death to guilt.                        There is life to joy.

          There is death to bondage.                  There is life to freedom.

          There is death to punishment.             There is life to peace.

          There is death to failure.                     There is life to purpose.

          There is death to despair.                   There is life to hope.

          There is death to fear.                         There is life to faith.

          There is death to defeat.                     There is life to victory.

          There is death to death.                      There is life to Life.

 

God loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him.  That’s why Jesus gave His life for us, so we can experience eternal life with Him -- forever.

 by Rev. Henry Hazard, Pastor Emeritus