What does the Cross of Jesus Christ mean to you? Have you ever given some thought to this important question? When Christians speak of the Cross, they mean the death and shed blood of Christ. For Him to die, He had to be nailed to the Cross in order to bear your sins and mine in His own body there. The Bible says, “He himself bore our sins His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). The word “tree” means the Cross. This was essentially God’s way to bring about the forgiveness for the sins of mankind. Sin is man’s rebellion against God. Sin also separates us from God It was therefore necessary for God to act decisively that sin would no longer have any dominion over us. The apostle Paul writes, “We know that Christ being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God” (Romans 6:9,10).
The Cross is foundational to the Christian faith and practice. And its glorious message is that Jesus saves, keeps, and satisfies. No wonder this ancient hymn we sometimes sing is so inspiring. “When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I could but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.” (Isaac Watts, 1674-1748).
As Paul is concluding his letter to the Galatian Church, he writes, “Be it far from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). This gives a window into the depths of Paul’s love and appreciation for his Lord Jesus and His death on the Cross. “Paul’s ground for boasting is not in the flesh of men, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. On that cross the world died to Paul and Paul to the world. When a man is saved , the world says goodbye to him, and he says goodbye to the world. He is spoiled as far as the world is concerned because he is no longer interested in its fleeting pleasures; the world has lost its attraction for him, because he has found One who completely satisfies. Thus the cross is a great barrier or dividing line between the world and the child of God” (William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1897). The Cross is the great divide between the Christian and the world.
The Cross will never lose its transforming power. On the Cross, Jesus paid the sinner’s ransom to God, which brings them out from their bondage to sin. As the time was drawing near for the Lord to be hung on the Cross, He prayed, My Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). The “cup” Jesus referred to was His suffering and death that He was about to endure. We must take note here that Jesus was not having any regrets about His death. Rather, it shows the “human side” of our Lord. Remember, He slept, he experienced tiredness, hunger, and thirst, which reveal his human nature and definitely without any sin of His own. We must also observe His last words in that prayer, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will,” meaning His total submission to His Father’s will. And as He was about to die, He uttered these words, “It is finished,” which means that the sin question was settled one and for all. Nothing to be added or taken away.
There was never and there will never be any substitute for the death and shed blood of Jesus Christ. There is “wonder-working power” in His blood. In order to appreciate the significance of the blood we must refer to the book of Leviticus chapter 17 and verse 11, where the Scripture states, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life” There are two noteworthy truths in evidence here. The first is the value of the “life” is the measure of the value of the “blood.” This gives the blood of Jesus Christ its unimaginable significance. It means that when Christ shed His blood, He actually gave His life. Secondly, we must also note that it is not the blood in the veins of the sacrifice, instead it the “blood upon the altar” that is effectual. “And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). Nothing more, nothing less.
So many of us can truly attest to the effectiveness of the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary in our daily lives. The lines of this beautiful hymn refers. “The blood that Jesus she’d for me, Way back on Calvary; The blood that gives me strength From day to day, It will never lose its power” (American gospel singer Andrae Crouch, 1942-2015). Dr. Charles Stanley wrote a fitting comment about keeping our eyes on the Cross. “When we take our eyes off the Cross, we get into trouble because we place our confidence in things that do not endure eternally. However, when we keep our focus on all that Christ has done for us, He shows us His glory. “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). (Dr Charles Stanley, Life Principles Bible, p. 1412). Amen.
There are some who regard Christianity as a so-called “bloody religion.” There is absolutely no truth in this erroneous belief. In the first place, Christianity is not a religion. A religion is man searching for the true and living God. Whereas, Christianity is God in His love, mercy, and grace reaching down to man, and providing salvation for him, through the death and shed blood of Jesus Christ. I, like millions around the world have absolutely no regrets on being a born-again Christian. The blood has been “applied,” our sins forgiven, and we are on our way to God’s heaven. We have nothing to lose but our sins and all to gain in Jesus Christ who loved us end gave Himself for us. Has the blood been “applied” to you? If not, why not?