The Cross of Christ and What it Means to Me
Part I
Christ died on the cross so that we would have eternal life. He, a man, took on the weight of sin from the past, the present, and the future on that cross and died. Jesus endured the cross for the joy on the other side (Hebrews 12:2). His love encompassed all… every person in the past, present, and future. This love remains unconditional, regardless of any circumstance, reason, place, position, or status.
The cross was where blood was spilled out. What would it have looked like? The cross… stained with the blood. The ground underneath… trodden down and soaked with blood and water poured from Christ’s body. Christ Himself… nailed to the cross, bleeding, barely recognizable as a human, and probably in agony, all the while looking down on the crowd with tender love and compassion. It was a holy spot. Christ had His life flow—His blood—washed out of Him, and the weight of all human sin, iniquity, and burden on His shoulders.
Only death could release and provide the gateway into the new. Only through the cross was it possible for the temple curtain to be torn in two. The gateway to free, unlimited access to God became opened at last. God’s presence was now unleashed to all who came to the Savior. By choosing to step through the gate that Christ has opened we possess a wonderful inheritance, including:
~a relationship with Christ
~the Holy Spirit of God Himself
~an inheritance in heaven
~ life in abundance and to the full, here and now!
~ victory over sin, death, and strongholds
~the wonder and glory of God’s presence
All of this has already been made possible and accessible by the work completed on the cross! We don’t need to strive to earn it or keep it. Christ has already completed the work and fulfilled the righteous requirements of God’s holy law that was given through Moses. Christ has already suffered the punishments of our sin. He has taken on the punishment that we so deserve. All we need to do is receive and believe in Him.
Part II
The cross on which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ hung on means most of all, rest. Gazing upon the cross of Christ, I see a work that was completed over 2,000 years ago. The work took on my own humanity, my own sinful nature, my sin, my pain, and all my sickness. From this I can rest easy, knowing that Christ has already paid the dear cost of all my sin. I know that He has already done it and aim to simply take hold of that which He died to give.
The cross also means love. Yes, Christ died for all of humanity. Everyone. However, there is a deep, very personal side to this. He died for you. He died for me. A giving of life that we might truly live. For God created life, and in Him is where real, true, actual life resides.
End Notes
Not too long ago we celebrated Easter. Was this Easter any different for you? Or was it basically the same holiday as usual? I hope and pray for each one of you reading this that God would bless you and open up your eyes to the wonder of the finished work of Christ on the cross. I hope that you may come to know that Christ has totally fulfilled the requirements of the Law. Christ is the only person Who has ever and will ever walk on the face of the earth Who has not broken God’s perfect and holy Law. By saying this I mean that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have all broken it but the One.
By receiving Jesus’ perfect fulfillment of the Law we become clothed in His righteousness and covered in His blood. God sees us as He sees Jesus—righteous, holy, on and on. We are loved just as Christ was loved. We are seen by how God saw Jesus. Reading through the gospels it is easy to take note of how Christ was so beloved. We are too… Our eyes just need to be opened to it.
Open our eyes, Lord!
Amen.
