What Does the Cross Mean For You?

I had been there many times before, but this time it was different. This time my ears witnessed what my eyes could not grasp. As attendees approached the lifesize cross – some hesitantly; others almost running as if they have been waiting for this moment for years – a quiet peace fell over the sanctuary. One by one, they pushed their folded, tear-soaked papers into the small slits on each side of the cross—papers with names that represented broken relationships, lost innocence, heartache, disappointment, and shattered lives. Standing there, I could hear the papers as they tumbled down the long pillar of the cross, finally landing at the foot. And while it was only paper, I could hear chains breaking and shackles falling powerless, crushed by the weight of the cross.

How many years had they carried the weight of unforgiveness towards this person? How many sleepless nights had they laid awake contemplating the pain of the past? How many countless tear-covered pillows, soaked shirtsleeves, and puddles of tears had been shed as a result.

At that moment, the message of the Christ’s Cross screamed freedom from sorrow. And as I thought back to that day more than two thousand years ago, I can’t help but consider what the cross meant for those who bore witness.

Physical pain and spiritual agony for Jesus as complete separation from the Father drew near. Suffering for His mom, who watch as they anchored long nails into the feet she once held in her palm. Hopelessness for His followers who were certain He was the long-awaited Messiah who came to release them from Roman oppression. Relief for the religious rulers who thought to put an end to His entourage of followers. Realization as the centurion proclaimed, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Deliverance for the criminal who traded his sentence of condemnation for a place in paradise.

But what does the Cross mean for you? What is the message of the Cross for a broken world?

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Stand at the foot of the cross, and count the purple drops by which you have been cleansed: See the thorn-crown; mark His scourged shoulders, still gushing with encrimsoned rills…And if you do not lie prostrate on the ground before that cross, you have never seen it.”

The Cross, with its final word, is the bridge from death to life. Surrender of the Son. Sacrifice of our Savior. Symbol of salvation.

Peace with God Through the Crucifixion

Peace. Something we all desire. Peace in the world. Peace in our homes. Peace with our past. Peace with our circumstances. And yet, the peace this world has to offer is imposters and temporary, unable to satisfy the soul’s longing. Because Christ is our peace, because He came and preached peace, and because He paid the way for peace, it is only through Him that we can obtain it. Through His sacrifice on the cross, we now have peace with God and can foster His peace with others through the fruit of His Spirit.

• And having made peace through the blood of His cross… Colossians 1:20
• Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
• For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Ephesians 2:14
• And He came and preached peace to you… Ephesians 2:17
• And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Debt Free Through Jesus Christ

Because we’ve broken one of God’s laws, we stand accountable. And the wages (debt) of sin – all sin – is death. A debt in which, if you worked every day of your life, you still could not pay. One of the beautiful truths of Christ’s cross is the “paid in full” stamp on our sin. If you have received His grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, your certificate of debt was nailed to the cross. If you’re not sure whether or not you’ve accepted this free gift of forgiveness, please read this post on “Where will you open your eyes in eternity?”

• Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:14
• This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28
• and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood… Revelation 1:5
• For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19
• … the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
• In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7

The Cross Means We Are A New Creation In Christ Jesus

Since Adam, all mankind has been cut off from the life source, alienated, and unable to behold the Living God, much less become more like Him. But now, having been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, we are new creations with His perfection covering our imperfect lives. When you have been crucified with Christ, you now stand reconciled – holy, blameless, and above reproach.

• Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Colossians 1:22
• For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
• I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
• …and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Ephesians 4:24
• For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23

Victory Over The Debilitating Disease Of Sin

Before Christ, we find ourselves trapped in the cycle of sin, unable to free ourselves. Though impossible not to sin even after accepting Christ, the difference is the perspective of sin. Because of His Holy Spirit living within, we will feel the weight of our sin tugging at our hearts. So what does victory over sin mean? When we are tempted, not only does our faithful God provide a way out, but He also teaches us to say “no” to the once held passions of the flesh.

• And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24
• “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
• “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:15
• being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…” Romans 3:24-25
• “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1
• For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. Titus 2:11-12
• No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Access to the Father is through Christ Alone

In all of cosmic history, the cross is the pivotal point. Through the cross of Christ, the old way of sacrificially seeking forgiveness and access to God was fulfilled. Mankind, which stood hostile in mind and alienated from God, are now created anew, being brought near by the blood of Christ. As new creations, covered by the redemption of His sacrifice, we can boldly approach His throne of grace as heirs of His kingdom.

• Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus… Hebrews 10:19
• But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13
• For through Him, we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:18-19
• Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

Through Jesus We Have Eternal life

Just as the wooden ark saved the lives of Noah and his family, Jesus Christ saves our lives through the wooden cross. God left Jesus on the Cross so we wouldn’t be left crushed by the weight of a death sentence. The end of His earthly life was the beginning of our eternal life. Don’t you love that the first convert to enter heaven was a thief on a cross? Having done nothing for the Kingdom other than admit his faith, this man’s eternal future was secure in the Savior. Though many have promised life through alternate routes, we cannot be truly alive until we accept His life, death, and resurrection.

• For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
• Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him. 2 Timothy 2:11
• For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1
• “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
• “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40
• And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43

God gave us the Law to show us our inadequacy, but He provided the Way through Jesus’ death on the cross to show His adequacy. Here, at the cross, is where you’ll find peace, wholeness, victory, and eternal life.