January 31, 2019 (Thursday)
Yesterday’s blog included The Passover as part of the discussion. The Passover of the Jews and the Cross of Christ are tied together in our hearts. As is mentioned in this blog, the New Testament declares, “Christ is our Passover.”
Atop many church steeples around the world there is a cross. The cross reminds us of many things related to our faith. Picture a cross in your mind. Not the gold-plated, diamond-studded version that is worn around the necks of style-conscious people, but the ugly, blood-stained, splintered real cross upon which Jesus was crucified.
In light of Romans 5:8 which says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us,” I will suggest three things that the cross says to us:
1. You are a sinner.
You cannot possibly tell anyone what the cross means without mentioning sin. If there were no sin, there would be no cross. The cruel Roman cross that took the life of our Savior was there so that Jesus could personally pay the ultimate price for sin. Each of us should have paid an awful price because of our sin. But Jesus paid the price for us. If we deny the reality of sin, and in particular our own sin, then we cannot possibly understand why Jesus died. He died for me. He died for you. He paid the awful price–his own life–of our sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), a death that we owe as the penalty for our own sin, but Jesus died on the cross, spilling his own blood, providing atonement for the sins of the whole world. I cannot look at the cross without hearing it say to me, “You are a sinner.”
2. God loves you
Kneeling at the foot of the cross, I begin to understand that the cross is telling me that God loves me. The blood-stained, nail-riven splintered tree held the Son of God, who was given to us by the Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he gave us his only Son (John 3:16). Through faith in Him we are saved by the grace of almighty God. Though we have sinned, we have his mercy and pardon.
3. Christ died for you.
Long ago in the land of Egypt, God instructed his people to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood on the doorposts and lintel of their front doors. That awful night, the first-born of every household in that land died, but those whose homes were smeared with sacrificial blood were spared. The death angel passed over those homes, and every year since then, the people of God have observed a ceremony in honor of that event. It’s called the “Passover.” The New Testament says that Christ is our Passover. He died as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins on that cross. Yes, the cross says, “Christ died for you.”
Hear the cross as it speaks today. It is the same message it has been heralding ever since that fateful day so long ago when the Son of God spilled his own blood to save us from our sins. Hear that word: “You are a sinner, but God loves you and gave His son for your salvation.” The cross speaks.
“Tell of the cross where they nailed Him
Writhing in anguish and pain
Tell of the grave where they laid Him
Tell how He liveth again
Love in that story so tender
Clearer than ever I see
Stay let me weep while you whisper
Love paid the ransom for me”
Edited version of Nov 17, 2015 blog.