Of the many types of crosses on this earth, one cross is of the greatest importance. It is the cross of Calvary. Let us contemplate this cross and ask ourselves: What message does the cross of our Savior have for us?
The cross shows us the wickedness of the human heart
There is no other symbol of greater shame than the cross of Calvary. Here, we humans, trapped in our own sin, killed the Son of God, who came down from heaven out of love for us in order to save us. Here, we godless creatures drove the cold steel into the heart of our creator. This should make us deeply ashamed. Yes, nowhere is humanity more clearly revealed in its sinfulness; nowhere does its outrage against God come to light as clearly as here at the cross.
Israel, the religious nation of the ancient world with the highest knowledge of God, rejected God through its high priests and elders. And the highly educated modern and cultured man, represented by Pontius Pilate, subjected the holy and righteous Son of God to the curse of the wood. Not only did humanity nail its Redeemer to the cross, but they also mocked His suffering.
That is what humans are like; that is what I am like, and that is what your nature is like. Does the cross help you recognize the wickedness of your heart? Only then will you have a lasting benefit from contemplating these words from the cross.
The cross shows us God’s love for every person
Despite the actions of fallen and ungrateful humanity, the great work of salvation is wrought by God’s great love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
God’s love was not in words only but also in deeds. He sent His only Son – an act of love for the enemies of God who had rebelled against Him! A Muslim, who read the message of this act of love in the New Testament for the first time, exclaimed, “This is what I need! This is what I’ve been looking for in vain all my life! This God is my God, and I want to belong to Him!” Through Calvary, many have recognized and experienced God’s love.
The cross tells us about shame and curse
The cross was originally there for the shame and torture of robbers and felons. In Galatians 3:13, we read, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole” (NIV). Christ became a curse. Christ became a curse for us. That is how He has redeemed us from the curse of the law. He endured the cross in order to redeem us from the shame of sin.
A crucified man was an abandoned man, an outcast from society. Our Lord experienced all of this for us. He was abandoned by God and abandoned by man. He had to descend into the terrible depth of being separated from God in order to bear the judgment for the sins of mankind. God’s holy judgment was upon Him. If it were not for this gruesome judgment on the cross, then we would have no other option than to bear the punishment of eternal abandonment by God ourselves.
Dear reader, worship the Lord, for here at Golgotha, the righteousness and the love of God enfold for the purpose of our salvation, yours and mine.
The cross tells us about substitutionary atonement
No other human was so righteous and holy that they could represent humanity. But on the cross, the Son of God, righteous and holy, became our substitute. Through a man called Adam, sin entered the world, and through a man called Jesus, it is cast out again (see Romans 5:12-18 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6). For this, Jesus suffered death on the cross. He suffered for us. He was the substitutionary sacrificial lamb for us. He is our sin offering.
The cross offers reconciliation
“That He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity” (Ephesians 2:16). Christ is the mediator, reuniting God and humans. Let us behold Him. The wall of sin has been torn down. Through this reconciliation, we can be reunited with God and attain full salvation. God is no longer the wrathful judge but the reconciled, loving Father for all who by faith accept this reconciliation.
The cross proclaims victory
The cross proclaims victory over sin! Victory over death! Victory over hell and the devil! The promise given in Genesis 3:15 has been fulfilled: the serpent’s head is crushed. That is why the apostle Paul exclaims: “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). Only because of the cross do we have this victory and power to lead a victorious life.
At the cross you must decide
One of the robbers hanging on the cross blasphemed, the other was pardoned. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who believe, it is the power of God. Thus, the cross draws a line separating humanity, a line that morphs into a wide chasm. You cannot pass by the cross without making a decision. Either you will embrace or reject its message.
Decide for salvation today! In light of this great work of redemption, how terrible it would be to remain as we are. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31), for all who have not accepted this great salvation. We can bring all of our burdens to God as the following song encourages us to do.
Come to the cross with all your burdens,
Tired and weary wanderer.
Only at the cross there’s pardon,
You’ll find peace. Come as you are.
On the cross, the pure and holy
Son of God died for your sin.
Full of grief, in pain and lowly,
It was love; O come to Him.
Come, He stills your deepest longing,
Peace and pardon He imparts.
There’s no need to be prolonging
or your troubled heart.
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