The Christian church is an assembly gathered under the cross of Christ. We find that the most fundamental element of our faith is that “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” was nailed to the cross (Titus 2:13). But what did this historical event accomplish. We want to not only ask, what happened, but what did it mean?
The Apostle Peter wrote these words concerning the crucifixion of Christ in his first epistle. There we read, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” (1 Peter. 2:24) A tree is an appropriate image to describe the cross. The matter-of-fact component is that the cross was made of wood. But something deeper is at work here. It was through a tree that mankind and the cosmos became cursed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
The Apostle Paul connected the tree and curse imagery in his epistle to the Galatians where he cited Deuteronomy 21:23. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:13-14, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” – so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Here we find that Scripture’s ripe point of connection in the cross of Christ is that it was the focal point of the curse of God. Yet, in the wisdom of God, the place of God’s curse became the culmination and source of every blessing.
By the death of Christ Jesus, the cross was transformed into a symbol of mercy and grace. In the same way, the empty tomb was transformed from a reminder of the horror of death due to the curse, into a foreshadow of eternal life to the work of Christ. The cross is more than a point of execution. The cross for the Christian is a reminder of the depths of God’s love for His enemies.
How can this benefit then become ours? The Apostle Paul makes it clear that this gift of God’s grace is received by faith alone in Christ. It is not by faith and works. Paul warns against mingling such things together especially in his epistle to the Galatians. This is his repeated argument throughout Galatians 2-3. A few excerpts will help you see his central idea: “we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal. 2:16); “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” (Gal. 3:2); “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.” (Gal. 3:7); “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse” (Gal. 3:10).
The gift of Christ on the cross can be received in no other way than by faith alone. You can’t buy God’s grace. You can’t earn God’s grace. You can’t rely on other people’s works to secure your grace. You can’t find it in any liturgical acts however pious they might appear. You can only be a beneficiary of the cross of Jesus Christ by faith in Him. Such a faith is a living faith, an abiding faith, a faith that reveals itself in the fruits of your life (James 2:14-26).
What happens then when we believe in Christ? God pardons your sins: past, present, and future. God climactically delivers his verdict that sinners are declared “Not guilty” by His act of justification. This word comes to us from Scripture and describes a once-for-all act of God. It is not a process. It is an act where God pardons our sins and accepts us by the work of His beloved Son. God draws us near to His side in love. He removes every obstacle between us and Him. God’s gift of justification is a central component in the meaning of the cross of Christ. For there was no other way for sinful men and women to be made right with God. Your kindness and good efforts will not avail you on that Last Day, only Christ’s work on your behalf.
By the cross of Jesus Christ, we are gifted peace with God, access to God, and hope in God (Rom. 5:1-5). Our peace with God is not a momentary peace, but a spiritual peace. It is an objective reality that we are no longer the enemies of God and He is no longer appropriately angry at our sins which He has every right to be as a holy and righteous God who’s been offended. Although some individuals reject the notion of God’s wrath and anger towards God, whenever they do so they belittle the unspeakable love of God in reconciliation. You need only read a few passages to see God’s natural stance towards sinners outside of Christ both in the present and for the future: Psalm 5:1-6; John 3:36; Rev. 19:15.
But it is for His enemies that Christ endured the cross. Enemies like you and me. We cannot miss this fact. We were God’s enemies. Everyone who is outside of Christ is His enemy and in need of His grace. But God’s grace does something most unexpected; at least, in our world which hates mercilessly. God forgives His enemies. He adopts His enemies. Christ died for His enemies. It is truly astounding. God’s hatred towards sin is not canceled by the cross. It is redirected from us to the Son of God who willingly accepted it on the cross. If we lose sight of this, we lose sight of the depths of the Father, Son, and Spirit’s love for us. We also lose sight of horror of sin. At the cross of Jesus Christ “righteousness and peace kiss” (Ps. 85:10) and it is to our joy. We were cursed by a tree, redeemed by a tree, and won to a “tree of life” (Rev. 22:14). Blessed be our glorious God forever.