“God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” writes Paul in Galatians 6:14. We wear crosses around our necks, hang them on the wall, quilt them into clothes, and stain them into glass. The cross has become a commonplace symbol in our society at the risk of losing its significance. So why do we make much of the cross?
Jesus died on the cross. His blood stained the old rugged cross. He carried the cross up the hill of Calvary and, suspended between heaven and earth, made the necessary sacrifice for the sins of man. We are commanded to carry our cross. We are told to preach the cross. We are commissioned to witness to the world of the saving power of the cross. It is on the cross that God died for man and opened the door for man to be right with Him! The Bible declares, “For Christ also suffered, once for all, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…” (I Peter 3:18, NKJV). The old, rugged cross is a reminder of how much we are loved and the extent God would go to bring a sinful world back to Himself.
Paul emphasized the cross to the Colossian church. They were troubled in their soul because some taught they were not doing enough to be saved. Paul encourages their heart by reminding them of the work of the cross. The Living Bible beautifully reads: “And blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of commandments which you had not obeyed. He took the list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross” (Colossians 2:14). Visualize all your sins being nailed to the cross. Ponder the hammer that struck the head that drove the spike into the hand of Jesus. Consider that your sins were nailed to the cross with Him. The blood that flowed was for the cleansing of the soul. The Bible states, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood…” (Revelation 1:5, NKJV).
It was from the cross that Jesus spoke the words, “It is finished.” He completed the will of the Father and paid for the sins of man. Whoever calls upon the Lord Jesus will be saved because the work is already done. Are my sins really forgiven? Look at the cross! Have I done enough to be right with God? Look at the cross! Does God really love me and want me for His child? Look at the cross! If Christ paid such a high price to save you, and He did, shouldn’t you offer your life to Him? Though the work was completed on the cross, each person must turn to Christ in repentance and faith. Isn’t it time to humbly kneel before the Lord and confess your sins and ask Him to save you? Why not do that today?