I Love the Cross
by Ted Slater on 03/21/2008 at 10:27 AM
I love the cross of Christ. There is no greater mystery, nothing that inspires more wonder, than the crucifixion of our Lord. It was the greatest act of both love and hate ever portrayed. It's a manifestation of both the stratospheric height of God's mercy and the grimy depth of our sin.
Paul boasted in but one thing: the cross. The hosts of heaven include Jesus' death in their continuous expression of praise, day and night. My sin, as the old hymn goes, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. We are reconciled to God through the cross of Christ.
I could ponder the cross for a lifetime and never fully explore its depth and significance. It's both simple and complex. It's seen as both foolishness and the pinnacle of wisdom. It illustrates both divine compassion and divine wrath. Christ the all-powerful was crucified in weakness. It's both glorious and shameful. It shows us both God's fierce anger and His lovingkindness.
If it weren't for the cross, my life would be without meaning, without purpose, without direction. Thank God for the horrific solution to my sin problem. I resonate with Mark Altrogge's song, "I Love the Cross":
All my sins forgiven
Far removed as east from west
Cast into the depths of the ocean
Of grace and redeeming love
All my guilt atoned for
Every debt is paid in full
Though my sins were scarlet
Now I’m clean as a fresh fallen snow
I love the place where my Savior died
I love the place where I was justified
I love the place
Where Your blood flowed down
To give me life
I love the Cross
I love the Cross
I love the Cross
The Cross of Christ
I thank You, Lord, for the terrible, wonderful cross of my Savior.
1. John D. said the following at 3:57 PM on Mar 21:
... Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Revelation 5:12
2. Lisa A said the following at 5:39 AM on Mar 22:
Last night in our Good Friday service, we were reminded how our culture has "cleaned up" the cross of its gruesomeness. We have crosses in our churches, our homes and on our persons. Our pastor asked what it would look like to have gas chambers above our fireplaces, or 14k gold electric chairs on chains around our necks...?
But he continued by saying that the Cross of Christ isn't merely an instrument of death. When Jesus said, "It is finished," he wasn't saying, "It's over." He was saying, "It's accomplished."
It's estimated that Pilate had sanctioned hundreds, if not thousands, of crucifixions before Jesus'. The act of sending Jesus to the cross wasn't a big deal on his part. But what happened after that was a big deal -- you know, Jesus taking on my sin, replacing my record with His, providing access to the Father -- crazy stuff like that. Stuff I still don't comprehend.
What I do know is that Christ's work on the cross allowed me to celebrate Communion last night as a mere shadow of what I'll someday do with Him in person. It allows me to survive the "Saturdays" of waiting for His return. And it will allow me to go into tomorrow knowing that, yes, what Christ set out to do on the cross is now "accomplished."
I'm with you, Ted.
3. Amir Larijani said the following at 8:10 AM on Mar 22:
Excellent post, Ted.
4. Bene said the following at 11:32 AM on Mar 22:
Thank you.
5. Frank said the following at 10:36 PM on Mar 23:
I'm currently watching a documentary about crucifixion on the History Channel. It was possibly one of the most barbaric ways to kill one's fellow man. The Romans enjoyed prolonging the suffering of the crucifixion victims, and they even enjoyed performing torture experiments on them while they were dying.
It was also a way for Rome to communicate their absolute power over the populace -- especially the slaves, criminals, and troublemakers of the ancient world.
I think Jesus chose this method, to A. Save us (obviously), but B. to show how base humanity really is. I mean would you want to hang around these Roman soldiers? Would you want to be friends with guys who would watch people suffer and die in the most awful way possible on a daily basis -- and not have any problem with it?
You guys should watch that History Channel documentary. It truly is horrifying how awful humanity treated our Lord while he walked the earth. Those Romans really were sick in the head.
6. Rachael said the following at 1:09 PM on Mar 24:
Thank you for the reminder of the cross.
Here are ideas for an article(s) or a Boundless post(s): salvation, ways to clearly explain it in different contexts, ways it is presented in the Bible, and testimonies of how people came to the faith. I've been pondering salvation recently, and the ways in which it gets explained.
Heard an explanation Fri. night at a friend's church, and have since discussed salvation with friends a bit. I'd really like to learn more of how people understand and explain it, specifically within a certain theological framework, but I realize this isn't the forum for that. I am a Christian who believes in the truth of the Bible, but still I feel like salvation gets presented in different ways...God can work regardless of how we present it, and essentially its through God's grace that we are saved through faith. That's the bottom line. But still...I'm curious and would like to seek to clearly grasp it for myself as well as be prepared should opportunities to share arise.
Anyway just ideas either for this blog or for conversation topics people could have with their friends and acquaintances...
Peace!