Thursday, April 4, 2024
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit... 1 Peter 3:18 CSB
The Power of the Cross
For believers, the central events in all of history is the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Every other event relates itself for its real value to the death of Jesus Christ for our sin. His birth was to change our calendars, but His cross alone could give meaning and bring hope to our lives. The verse above gives a perfect explanation of the historical necessity and eternal meaning of the cross. Anyone who calls himself a believer has been to the cross of Jesus where the greatest work of all was accomplished for our redemption. His perfect sacrifice was the atonement for your sins and mine.
The Cross was for God
- To Overcome Satan – there must be death before resurrection. Christ was positioned to receive all the power of Satan and then rise in victory. God used the cross to defeat Satan.
- To Display the Real Cost of Sin - God needed the cross to display to us as sinners that the payment for sin is not merely pleasant death but suffering in the highest form.
- To Display God’s Love - It was the cross that would display to man the immense love of God for His creation through God’s sacrifice of His only son. John 3:16
The Cross was for Satan
- To Show What Satan is Not -The whole basis of our fear is that Satan can deliver death, rejection, pain and suffering that we cannot bear. Jesus received Satan’s worst and never cried out, except when He felt the weight of our sin.
- To Display the Power of God –Satan tried to use the cross to show his power and yet it has stood in history to display the power of God.
The Cross was for Us
- To Know God’s Love and Power– God could shout from the heavens, but I would have never understood. He could have continued to speak through the prophets, but I would have never comprehended the vastness of His grace. But, when God spoke through the cross His message came through loud and clear.
- To Find Forgiveness - I can find forgiveness through that cross as I accept its meaning for my life. Forgiveness does not come from the cross itself but from the greatest act of love that took place upon the cross. How beautiful it is that God's greatest gift has appeared to meet man's greatest need.
- To Find Refuge – The shadow at the foot of the cross hides every ounce of shame you carry as the blood of the Savior washes it all away.
Has familiarity with the cross caused you to lose its deep significance as you sing about it, wear it on your shirt or around your neck and hang it on your wall? The cross is more than just a token or souvenir. It was the vehicle that brought your salvation and hosted Christ as our redemption – the most important event of your life. Think about what the cross means to you today.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. 1 Peter 2:24 CSB
