1. Why the Cross:
(a) The most important single fact in all human history:
The crucifixion of Christ and His subsequent resurrection is not some philosophical concept, or some good story made up by some clever author, or a dream or vision some fanatic had, nor was it an accident, but it is an actual historical event planned by God. He was crucified, put in a grave and on the third day God through the Holy Spirit raised Him up from the dead. The Bible says that after He rose from the dead He was seen by many witnesses:
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Jesus Christ’s death, subsequent resurrection and since He is alive today causes it to be the most important single fact in all human history
(a) The cross represents a sacrifice.
We read in Heb. 7:27: “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11-14 NKJV)
When an Israelite sinned in the Old Testament, He brought the appropriate offering to the priest. It could be a goat, a lamb or a bull and the the priest would lay his hand on the head of the offering transferring the guilt of the man to the animal and the animal was killed and not the man as the penalty for deliberate sin was death as we see in Ezekiel 18:3:
“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)
In the New Testament Jesus was the priest and He was the sacrifice and He offered Himself unto God as a sacrifice on behalf of the sins of the whole human race. John the Baptist on seeing Jesus, exclaimed:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NKJV)
(b) The Day of Atonement in the Old Testament is the antitype of the cross or the sacrifice of Jesus in the New Testament:
The common priests offered sacrifices every day, morning and evening, and the high priest on a stated day once a year, on the day of atonement offered up sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the people’s. We see this brought out in the following scriptures:
And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. (Leviticus 16:6)
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses. (Leviticus 16:34)
The day of atonement was the most important holy day for the nation of Israel! Atonement in the Old Testament means “to cover”. The sacrifice the High Priest made on the day of atonement merely covered the sins of the people for one year and then had to be repeated year after year! This is why we read in Heb. 10:3-4:
“But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:3-4)
On the other hand, atonement in the New Testament and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on our behalf does not just cover sins but takes them away. John the Baptist on seeing Jesus and announcing Him exclaimed:
“…Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
We this also brought out in the Book of Romans:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— (Romans 3:23-25 NIV)
“Sacrifice of atonement” in Greek, the language the New Testament was written in, the word is “hilaskomai” and it indicates that God has become gracious and able to show us mercy and is able to reconcile us to Himself in spite of His justice. The place where God was able to do this in the Old Testament was in the Greek-“hilasterion” speaking here of the mercy seat in the tabernacle or temple. This was the lid of the ark that was in the most holy place whereon God, represented by the Shekinah glory above it, met His people. The high priest, on the day of atonement, sprinkled the blood of the innocent sacrifice on it, covering the guilt of sinful man and thereby making it possible for sinners to be reconciled to a holy God. In the New Testament the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His precious blood poured out there becomes the “hilasterion” or the mercy seat for sinners once and forever.
(c) The Cross or the Sacrifice Jesus Made was perfect, perfect in every respect and perfect in every aspect as a result it cancelled forever the effects and consequences of sin and provided total well being for every believer. We see this brought out in the following verses:
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. (Isaiah 53:5 AMP)
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:11-14)
“Perfected forever” indicates that the sacrifice Jesus made was perfect, nothing needs to be taken away from it and nothing needs to be added to it. Those who are being made holy means that we who have accepted this sacrifice and experienced God’s salvation are not perfect yet but that it is a process where we are continually being changed and brought closer to God in fellowship as we daily cooperate with God and yield our lives to Him.
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)
“It is finished” is one word in the Greek,-“tetelestai”. It is one of Jesus’ most important statements uttered just before He died. Tetelestai is a verb that means to do something perfectly. Through Jesus sacrificial work on the cross the complete need of mankind was totally and perfectly provided for.
1. It was perfect because it never had to be repeated:
We see this in the following verses:
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:24-26)
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus Christ) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. (Hebrews 10:11-13)
2. It was perfect because Jesus as Priest offered Himself up to God, the perfect sacrifice, through the Eternal Spirit.
“Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”(Hebrews 9:14)
Since He offered Himself through the Eternal Spirit it’s significance was brought out of time and into the realm of eternity! Therefore Jesus’ sacrifice, although a historical event that took place at a definite time around two thousand years ago,embraced the sins of the people of all ages, past present and future and thereby embraced the sin of the whole human race even those who were not yet born. This truth is also brought out in Romans 3:25:
“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, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26 NKJV)
By “the sins that were previously committed”, are meant, not sins before salvation of one person nor the sins of a life only, but the sins of Old Testament saints, who lived before the incarnation of Christ, and His death ; but not only them, for Christ’s blood was shed for the forgiveness of all his people’s sins, past, present, and to come.
3. The sacrifice was perfect and complete because Jesus sat down whereas the priest who ministered in the Holy Place was not allowed to sit indicating by this that his work was never complete. We see this in the following verse:
“Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand”. (Hebrews 10:11-12).
(d) Through the Cross the power of the devil and His works were broken:
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8)
All the works of the devil were destroyed by Christ, by his sacrifice and death. To destroy means to break up and do away with, to loosen. When Jesus died he bruised and crushed the serpents (Satan’s) head to fulfill the prophecy found in Genesis 3:15:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel”. (Genesis 3:15 AMP)
We see Jesus’ great victory and defeat of The devil also in the following verses:
In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (Colossians 2:15)
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. (Hebrews 2:14)
Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. (Luke 10:19)
Through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection Satan’s legal grip over our lives was broken. He was soundly defeated by our conquering Lord Jesus Christ. Christ’s victory is our victory but we must by faith believe it and enforce it! God will not do for us what we can do our selves. For example in James 4:7 we are told to “resist the devil and he will flee from us.” It doesn’t say that God will resist the devil for us, but as we do so in the mighty Name of Jesus, he will flee from us.
We do not have power over the devil! In our own strength we cannot defeat him! But we have been given authority. Just as a policeman who is directing trafic, he does not have power over all the vehicles that are rushing by but when he blows his whistle and puts out his stop sign the drivers obey him and stop, why? Because he has authority! All the armed forces of his nation stand behind the policeman’s badge of authority. In the same way all the armies of Heaven stand behind the person who will resist the devil in the mighty Name of Jesus.
(e) Through the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice there we have been redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
“and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:12-14 NIV)
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7 NIV)
The word redeem means to buy out of slavery by paying a price
We see this word brought out by Paul in Romans 7:14:
“We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.” (Romans 7:14)
Paul gives an example of himself as being sold into slavery and under the control of sin and the devil. This is an example of us all before we met Christ. We were like that slave in the time of the Romans who was put for sale in the slave market by the slave owner. In the case of every sinner the slave owner is the devil who has every lost son of Adam in his grip. Then Jesus came into that market place and said, “I will buy him or her and from now on he is no longer yours but mine and from now on he or she is my dear child. The price that He redeemed us with was his own precious blood. The way we appropriate this is believing it and claiming by faith this wonderful truth.
(f) through the sacrifice of the cross a God planned exchange took place:
This truth is found in Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
The above is a prophecy concerning the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, written by Isaiah the prophet about 700 years before the time of Christ.
In verse five we read that He was “pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.” Transgressions are deliberate choices to disobey God. Iniquities mean something that we had planned before hand and continue to do in willful rebellion. In the Hebrew the word for iniquity is “avon”. The word means “guilt” and the “punishment for iniquity or planned rebellion”. The word “wounded” in verse five can also be translated “pierced”. This fulfills exactly what happened to Jesus! He was pierced by the thorns, by the nails from which He died and from the spear of the Roman soldier. In verse six we see that God laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all, from this we conclude that all our rebellion as well as for the punishment of that rebellion was laid on Jesus that we might experience His peace that comes from being forgiven. We see therefore that not only was our sins laid on Jesus but also all the evil consequence due to justice that we rightly deserve because of our sinful rebellion and guilt came upon Him and in exchange all the benefits that comes from Jesus sinless life and perfect sacrifice are made available to us. All these benefits can be received only by faith. They are not earned because of our good works but they are a gift from God. The are given to us because of God’s wonderful love and grace.
We see this principle of the exchange brought out clearly in 2Cor. 5:21:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II Corinthians 5:21)
In the above verse we see that Jesus the spotless Lamb of God becoming sin with our sinfulness that we who are unclean and sinful might become righteous with His righteousness. From the above verse we see that we are made not merely righteous, but righteousness, even “the righteousness of God.” The innocent was punished as if guilty, that the guilty might be rewarded as if innocent. What wonderful news! No wonder The prophet Isaiah exclaimed:
I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)
1. What are some of the benefits that we receive from this exchange.
(a) We receive forgiveness for our sins which results in peace with God:
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5).
The opposite of punishment is forgiveness. When we receive forgiveness then we also experience peace. We read in Ephesians 1:7:
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. (Ephesians 1:7). Praise God for His great love and grace that has made it possible for us to be forgiven. We do not deserve it, we cannot earn it, it is given to us freely because of His grace. All we have to do is believe, confess and repent of all our sins, believe His word and by faith receive it. Jesus, our blessed Lord and Savior was punished that we might be forgiven.
2. Another benefit that we receive from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and the exchange that was made there is healing for our bodies:
In Isaiah 53:4-5 we read:
“Surely he has borne our sicknesses and suffered our pain: and we considered him stricken, smitten of God, and cast down.
But he was wounded for our rebellions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes healing was provided for us.”
The above prophecy concerning the great sacrifice of Jesus and the wonderful benefit of healing for our physical bodies that we receive from the exchange that was made there is found both in Matthew and in Peter. Both Peter and Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit clearly show that physical healing was provided for our bodies by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross:
“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities (bodily diseases) And bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17)
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed.” (1Pet. 2:24).
How many of God’s sick children have been robbed of this wonderful benefit provided for them through the wounds of Jesus because they were not aware of what God’s Word promised them. God’s Word is very clear, “By His wounds we are healed”. Healing was clearly provided for us through the wounds of Jesus and we must simply receive it by faith. God who cannot lie has promised this wonderful gift to us and the question now should not be, “is it God’s will to heal me?” but the question now should be ” how can I appropriate God’s healing that He has made available for me.”
(3) Another benefit we receive from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is salvation:
In Hebrews 2:3 we read of the great danger of neglecting “so great a salvation”:
“how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.”
In Romans 10:9 we read that:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The Apostle Peter declares in Acts 4:12 that salvation comes from only one source:
“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
In the Greek, the language the New Testament was written in, the word “saved” is “sozo”. Strong’s concordance defines the verb sozo as meaning much more than just receiving forgiveness of sins but that it means, “to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, do well, and be made whole.”
Jesus’s work on the cross was perfect and includes every part of man’s well being. In the New Testament it is used in different ways to describe this. For example it is used of people receiving physical healing, it is used of a man being delivered from demon bondage, it is also used of a man who was raised from the dead. In 2 Timothy 4:18 Paul uses this word to describe God’s ongoing protection and preservation:
“And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
The word “preserve” here in the Greek is “sozo”.
What wonderful salvation The Lord has provided for us through His sacrifice! Let us not take it for granted, let us not neglect it! It is there available for us and provided for us freely. We see this brought out in Ephesians 2:8-9:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.)
Dear friend, perhaps you may have a need, perhaps you need forgiveness, or healing, or you have material needs or perhaps you are oppressed, lonely or discouraged. If so, then don’t neglect God’s great salvation. God in his great love for you has provided all that you need for body, soul and spirit! Believe His promises and by faith claim them for yourself and for your particular need.
Faith means that you have what you asked for, that which God has promised you even though you may not see the answer, or feel the answer, for example if your need was for healing and you have been prayed for, you may not feel better immediately. We read in 2 Cor. 5:7:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7)
We also read in Hebrews 11:1:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
So by faith we begin to thank The Lord for the answer, not doubting in spite of your circumstances. If your need is forgiveness then ask The Lord to forgive you since Jesus provided it for you through His sacrifice and even though you may not feel differently begin to thank The Lord in faith believing that He has forgiven you. As you continue to thank The Lord, day after day the feeling will also come, sooner or later, the healing or whatever your need will also come. If it does not come immediately, then do not give up but continue to thank God in faith believing that you already have it for we walk by faith and not by sight and faith is the evidence of things not seen (perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses).
During this time it is also very important to be obedient in doing whatever God is showing you. Faith and obedience go hand in hand. We can learn much from Abraham’s example who obeyed God and God blessed Him in all things. We see this in Genesis 24:1
“And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. (Genesis 24:1”
In Romans 4:17 we read that he didn’t give up because of unbelief but was strong in faith.
“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;” (Romans 4:20).
What a wonderful testimony! May we each determine in our hearts that this be also our testimony and continually thank God for His great salvation that He provided for each one of us freely through His sacrifice on the cross.
May God bless you each one and may you each have a blessed Easter.
Ken korol's Blog 