It Happened at The Cross

“They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.” John 19:17-18

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
John 19:28-30

The story of the cross is often related in such moving imagery and language that the deep, eternal significance of its accomplishments is overlooked. Although the physical torture and pain that Christ suffered on our behalf should indeed stir our souls, the good news of the Gospel is found in the almost unfathomable truths the cross secured.

At the cross God and man were reconciled. Sin divorced holy God and sinful man, making co-existence impossible and bringing separation (death). The cross allows God and man to once again enjoy intimate fellowship through its reconciling work.

At the cross redemption was completed. We were enslaved to sin - in inescapable bondage to the penalty of sin. Through Christ’s shed blood, the price (death) was paid in full on our behalf.
   
At the cross God was propitiated. God’s punishment of sin involved His holy wrath. The cross was where that divine wrath was fully vented upon His own Son so that we no longer have to live under such condemnation.

Have you personally received the benefits of the cross by acknowledging your sin and receiving God’s forgiveness? The cross is the only road to knowing and enjoying a personal relationship with God.

“For the word of the cross...is the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:18