The Wonder of the Cross

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The cross of Calvary - where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died - is the extraordinary instrument of freedom where man’s eternal liberty was secured. For you see, man’s freedom cannot be purchased with a social revolution or a majority vote. The source of his oppression is spiritual - not political, economic, or cultural.

Man is born a sinner, separated from the life and liberty of his creator, God. He is imprisoned by the darkness of sin, chained by its selfish grip and under the influence of the god of this world - Satan. His only hope is to be rescued by the One who alone has the power and right to liberate him from sin’s reign and rule. That is exactly what Christ did at the cross. He bore the penalty of sin - death - making it possible for man to be reconciled to the author of spiritual liberty, Jehovah God.

At the cross, Jesus released us from the curse of eternal death. When we receive Christ, we gain the incredible inheritance of eternal life. We still die physically, but our spirit is made alive by God. And we will be with Him forever. The cross shattered the bonds of sin, making spiritual freedom possible for all who believe in Jesus Christ.

“The cross is the pivot as well as the center of the New Testament thought.” -Samuel Zwemer