What Happened On The Cross?
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)
There is a penalty for sin - the death penalty. A holy and just God requires such a payment, because sin is so horrendous. He would not be just if He did not.
And we are all sinners, the Bible is very clear about that!
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)
Yes, all sin demands punishment, or else there is no justice.The punishment for sin required the death penalty,
but if we had to pay the price, there would be no one left in the world. We'd all be dead, because we are all sinners! So in the Old Testament, God established an elaborate system of sacrifices for sin.
This system began with Adam and Eve, when an animal had to die to cover their nakedness. Blood had to be shed for forgiveness of sin.
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)
This system of animal sacrifice was not perfect, however. It had to be repeated every year, over and over. It could not make atonement for sin, it merely provided a
temporary cover. It was a foreshadowing of Christ's future sacrifice.
God forgave their sin based on the fact that Jesus would one day die
to pay for their sins. Then, as now, people received forgiveness of sin by faith alone, through Jesus Christ alone, by grace alone.
No works of our own, however meritorious,
are a basis for forgiveness of sin.
When Jesus willingly went to the cross as the payment for sin for all people who would trust in Him, the old system was replaced by a new sacrifice.
He was the final, ultimate, perrfect sacrice. John the Baptist was the first to recognize this when he said:
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him,
and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Christ's death on the cross was the final, perfect sacrifice for all sin. He died once for all, atoning for every sin. When we accept His death as the
final punishment for our sins, knowing He paid a price we could never pay by ourselves. our sins are forgiven, forever. No further sacrifice needs to be made.
No further sacrifice CAN be made. God's judgment
of sin was completed when His only begotten Son died on the cruel cross of Calvary.
A number of things happened all at once when Jesus died on the cross. His final words, "It is finished." meant a lot of things were finished! Let's look at some of those things that happened on the cross.
- God's plan of salvation is finished. The plan He had to reconcile us to Himself, which He had from the beginning of the world, was now completed.
Christ's sacrifice wasn't some accident, it was God's plan. Satan temporarily bruised Christ's heel, but Jesus won the victory over Satan
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
- The penalty for our sin is finished. We do not have to pay the price for our sin - Jesus paid it all! He took all of our sin for us, and we are now righteous in God's sight because of Him! Thank you, Jesus!
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (II Cor. 5:21)
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The curse of the law is finished. The curse has been broken forever, and we now live in the age of God's grace.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin has reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 5:19-21)
- Condemnation is finished. Not only do we not have to pay the price for our sins, we are also free from all condemnation! That's right - we can lose the burdens of guilt and shame, because we are no longer condemned. Like a man on death row suddenly receiving a pardon,
we are free, free, free from the condemnation of our sin. Again, thank you, Jesus!
There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
(Romans 8:1-3)
- Death is finished. The grave cannot hold us, and death cannot keep us. When we believe in what Jesus Christ did for us, we receive everlasting life. When we take our last breath on this earth we
will take our next breath in heaven with Jesus.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26)
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Coriinthians 15:55)
- The separation between us and God is finished. At the death of Jesus, the huge, heavy veil separating God and man was torn in two, from top to bottom. This was done by God himself, not by man.
We no longer need a high priest to approach God for us, only once a year. Jesus is our high priest, who intercedes for us with our Heavenly Father, so we can boldly
come before God ourselves, any time, and find grace and mercy and help.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:14-16)
- The devil's power over us is finished. Sin has no more power over us - we are dead to sin. We live under God's grace. The only power Satan can have over us is what we give him back if we fall aain into sin.
Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.....
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:11; 14)
- Wordly cares and worries are finished. We have freedom from anxieties and worries, and instead receive a peace that surpasses all understanding, no matter what our circumstances may be.
True peace is knowing that we are at peace with our Heavenly Father, knowing that He is in complete control of all things. Nothing is going to touch our lives that is not filtered through His loving hands.
This peace is a direct result of our relationship with Jesus: the closer we draw to Him, the greater our faith, and the greater our peace.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7)
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