The Cross

‘For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’ (1 Corinthians 1:18).

What is the Cross of Christ all about? The sacrifice of Jesus had to be bloody. In Hebrews 9:22 it reads,’….and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.’ Jesus had to die a bloody death, more so then this picture of Christ that is portrayed here.

Sin started in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were deceived and rebelled against God. God had given them a commandment, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for when you eat of it you will die.” (genesis 2:16-17 NIV).

Sin was the cause of separation from God. The blood of animal sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood sanctified the people. In Hebrews 9:13 it reads, ‘The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.’

Jesus has changed all that because, in the words of Hebrews 10:3, ‘...it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.‘ Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, ‘But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once and after that face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people…’ ( Hebrews 9:26-28 ).

This was the importance of the Cross and why Jesus had to suffer. It’s through the cross we have reconciliation with God. In Colossians 1:19-20 Paul the Apostle said it beautifully, ‘God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him (Jesus), and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things whether things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through His blood shed on the cross.’

My next post will be on the ‘The Cup of Wrath’