“He himself bore our sins” in his body
on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
— 1 Peter 2:24
There is
nothing more certain in time or eternity than what Jesus Christ did upon the
cross. He made redemption the basis of human life, restoring the whole of
humanity to a right relationship with God. The cross of Jesus stands unique and
alone. It is not the cross of a man or a woman; it is the cross of God, the
exhibition of his nature. No parallel to it exists in human experience.
The cross
was a superb triumph. It was the revelation of God’s judgment on sin; it shook
the foundations of hell. Never tolerate the idea that Jesus Christ went to the
cross as a martyr. The cross didn’t happen to Jesus; he came on purpose for it.
Jesus is “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world ” (Revelation
13:8). God became flesh in order to defeat sin, not for self-realization. The
incarnation was entirely for the redemption.
The cross
is the center of time and eternity, the answer to the enigmas of both. It is
the gateway by which any member of humanity can enter into union with God—yet
when we get to the cross we do not pass through it. Rather, we abide in the
life it has made possible for us, a life of communion with God.
The center of salvation is the cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The cross is the point where God and sinful humanity merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the heart of God.
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