The Cross of Christ
In one sentence: At the cross, Jesus gave Himself as our substitute, sacrifice, victory, and peace so sinners could be forgiven and brought back to God.
In the last article, we saw that Jesus did not merely die for sinners. He lived for sinners. He obeyed where Adam, Israel, and all of us have failed. His perfect life matters because He came to save us completely.
Now we come to the cross. The cross is at the center of the Christian faith. Christians sing about the cross, preach about the cross, remember the cross at the Lord’s Supper, and trust in the One who died there. But if we are not careful, we can begin to think of the cross only as a symbol of love, sacrifice, or suffering. But while the cross is certainly a display of love, it is so much more than that.
At the cross, Jesus dealt with our deepest problem. He did not come merely to improve our lives, inspire better behavior, or show us how much God cares. He came to save sinners. Sin separates us from God. As we saw in earlier articles, sin is not merely a mistake, weakness, or bad habit. Sin is rebellion against the God who made us. God is holy, and He does not pretend evil is harmless. He judges sin because He is good. That is why the cross was and is necessary.
On the cross, Jesus stood in the place of His people. He took the judgment we deserved. He bore our sin. He was treated as guilty so that guilty sinners could be forgiven. This is what we mean when we say Jesus is our substitute. He did not die for His own sin. He had none. He died for ours.
The cross was also a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, sacrifices reminded God’s people that sin brings death and that sinners need cleansing. But those sacrifices were never meant to be the final answer. They pointed forward. Jesus is the true and final sacrifice. He offered Himself once for all. That means we do not need to bring something better to God to make ourselves clean. We do not need to balance the scales with good deeds. We do not need to punish ourselves until we feel worthy. Jesus gave Himself fully, freely, and finally.
The cross is also victory. At first glance, the cross looks like defeat. Jesus is arrested. His friends scatter. He is mocked, beaten, condemned, and nailed to the wood. But what looked like defeat was actually God’s victory. At the cross, Jesus defeated sin, exposed the darkness, broke the power of death, and triumphed over Satan. The serpent who deceived Eve in the garden had his head crushed by the suffering Savior. Jesus won the victory not by avoiding death, but by going through death and rising on the other side.
The cross also brings reconciliation. That means peace with God. Because of sin, we were not merely confused people who needed directions. We were enemies who needed peace. Jesus made that peace by the blood of His cross. He brings sinners near to God. This is why Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He was not saying, “I am finished.” He was declaring that the work was complete. The debt was paid. The sacrifice was offered. The promise was fulfilled. The way back to God was opened.
The cross shows us the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s love at the same time. If sin were small, the cross would not be necessary. If God were not loving, the cross would not happen. At the cross, God does not sweep sin under the rug. He deals with it. And at the cross, God does not abandon sinners to judgment. He saves them.
This is why Christians never move past the cross. We grow deeper into it. The cross humbles us because our sin required the death of the Son of God. The cross comforts us because the Son of God willingly died for us. The cross changes us because we now belong to the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. Jesus did not die as a helpless victim. He gave Himself as the Savior. He laid down His life for His sheep. He bore our sin, made our peace, won our victory, and brought us back to God.
Why does this matter?
This matters because we need more than advice, encouragement, or religious activity. We need forgiveness. We need peace with God. We need rescue from sin and death. The cross tells us that our sin is worse than we want to admit, but God’s grace is greater than we could ever imagine. We are not saved because we are good enough, sorry enough, strong enough, or religious enough. We are saved because Jesus is enough.
This also gives assurance to believers. If Jesus said, “It is finished,” then we do not have to live as though His work is unfinished. We confess sin, repent, and follow Him, but we do not add to His sacrifice. We rest in His finished work. And the cross teaches us how to live. If our King loved us by giving Himself, then we should not be surprised when He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
For Further Thought
These questions are not meant to create arguments, but to encourage careful, charitable, Bible-shaped conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts/answers to any/all of these questions in the comments.
- Why is the cross more than just a symbol of love or suffering?
- What does it mean that Jesus died as our substitute?
- How did the Old Testament sacrifices prepare God’s people to understand the cross?
- Why does the cross show both the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s love?
- How does Jesus’ finished work give assurance to believers?
- How should the cross shape the way Christians live?