The Power of the Cross

The main theme of the apostle Paul’s letters is “the cross.” He was a Hebrew by birth, a teacher by profession, and a born leader with unquenchable zeal and fervent enthusiasm. But the sole subject of his sermons was Christ and His cross. “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Looking at the cross, the privileges of birth, education, and authority disappear – everything becomes meaningless.

There are many things that stand out in Jesus’ life. We see in Him the miracle worker. No one performed more or greater miracles than He did. We think of Him as the great speaker who proclaimed His glorious teachings to the people. “No man ever spoke like this Man” (John 7:46). We see in Him the greatest humanitarian who went about doing good. Some see Him as a prophet. But His sacrificial death on the cross will always remain our Lord’s greatest deed. The symbol of the cross runs like a central theme through the Holy Scriptures. After the Lord had conquered death and left the tomb, He laid out all the scriptures that were written about Him to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He told them that He had to suffer these things in order to enter into His glory. The crucifixion was part of God’s eternal plan from the very beginning.

Paul speaks of the crucified Christ as the power of God. And truly, there is no greater power in the whole universe. Scripture tells us that the love of God is the greatest thing on earth. But this love of God for us humans is revealed in the cross of His Son. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

We recognize the all-conquering power of the cross in various aspects of our life and faith:

In the salvation of souls

The cross of Calvary lifts the sinner out of the deepest despair and is the preserving power in his life. The salvation of the lost happens solely through the power of the cross. Jesus says: “And if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw them all to myself” (John 12:32).

In the sanctification of believers

“Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it, and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Jesus died on the cross so that His people would be sanctified. In Hebrews 10:10 we read: “By this will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.” Only through the blood of our Savior can we enter the Holy of Holies on the new and living way that He created for us through His death on the cross.

In the healing of the body

Christ’s work of redemption also includes the healing of our bodies. “He bore our sickness and took upon Himself our pains… and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). These prophetic words of Isaiah were fulfilled when the Lord still walked here on earth and cast out spirits through His word and healed all who came to Him. But even today, people can still be healed through His wounds.

In the unity of the people of God

Jesus died not only for our salvation, sanctification and healing. Through His death, He also created the spiritual unity of God’s people. Jesus died “so that we may all be one, just as He is in the Father, and the Father in Him” (see John 17:21).

In the church of God, the body of Christ, this unity is visibly expressed to the outside world. In the cross there is power to break all divisions and make God’s people one.

In the spiritual blessings

All spiritual blessings are only possible through the power of the cross. In Romans 8:32 we read: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him give us all things?” God gave us His greatest gift when He sent us His Son to die for us. And He will also give us everything else we need.

In His final victory

The cross of Christ will never lose its power of attraction. In the heavenly city, where there will be no more night and where the throne of God and the Lamb stands, the cross of Christ will forever remain the center of contemplation for the redeemed. The eternal song of that great multitude will be: “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His blood … to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever” (Revelation 1:5,6).

The cross has not yet conquered the whole world. For many it is still a stumbling block, for others it is foolishness. But for the redeemed, it is God’s power and wisdom. All around us we see change and decay. But the cross remains. In many an argument and battle it has remained victorious. And it is still the banner of Jesus’ fighters. Nothing can stop its victorious course through the centuries. The cross knows no turning back. It shows the way forward to victory.