The Cross is the Gateway

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Romans 3:21-28

Here’s the conflict: God is a holy and just God who cannot tolerate sin and cannot violate His own character. At the same time, He loves us and has compassion for us, desiring to reach out and restore us to a right relationship with Him.

How did God take care of this problem? His loving solution was the Cross. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, died as the ultimate sacrifice to reconcile us to God once and for all.

You may be thinking, “I haven’t murdered anyone or broken one of the ‘big’ laws. How can I be a sinner?” Sin is any failure to live up to all of God’s standards and commands that He reveals in His Word. And we have all sinned and separated ourselves from Him (Rom. 3:23). In fact, our hearts are so darkened by sin that we do not naturally desire the things of God (Rom. 3:11). We sin because we’re born in sin, alienated from the life and presence of God.

When you trust Christ as your Savior, believing He died in your place and paid the price of sin for you, you are washed of your guilt. God sees you as righteous, cleansed completely of all sin. Through the blood of Jesus, you are holy and blameless. The Cross is the gateway to God.

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29