As you do, you will truly understand the answer to the question, "Why the cross? When Jesus cried that he had been forsaken by God the Father, it did not mean that the Father was not there (as God is always everywhere), but that he was not there to strengthen, comfort and bless him. Why Do False Teachings Stand Out More Than the Truth? Explore the life-changing impact of these two momentous events. Go to the cross and remain there. A few years ago it was all the rage for some Christians to wear a badge saying, ‘Smile, God loves you', but, as a friend of mine said at the time, ‘It would be more truthful to wear one saying, "Frown, you're under judgment.". Christians often have a joyful sense of God's presence as they die, yet for Jesus, exactly the opposite was true because at that moment he was experiencing not merely physical death but spiritual death. The Bible certainly tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:7), but also that he is "majestic in holiness" (Exodus 15:11) and that ‘the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Romans 1:18). In the most amazing act of love ever known, Jesus endured sin's ultimate penalty in the place of even the worst of his enemies. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. Answer: The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. Here is a source of power. It seems that the cross never kills the ignored or tolerated parts of our life. Yet God (the innocent party) has taken the initiative and done something astonishing to enable man (the guilty party) to be at peace with him by dealing with the root cause of the rift — human sin. But if you turn to Jesus and trust him to save you, he will release you from the burden of trying to get right with God by your own efforts and give you the "rest" you need. He says the same to you at this very moment. The best way to know the power of Christ’s resurrection in our married life is to go to the cross. Religious observance can never make you right with God. The apostle Paul says that Jesus "redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). Published in 2000, his 655-page volume Does God believe in Atheists? As the American preacher D. James Kennedy put it, "The Grand Canyon wasn't caused by an Indian dragging a stick, and the Christian church wasn't created by a myth. As the British preacher, John Stott says, "A pattern cannot secure our pardon." This explains why, as he was dying, Jesus cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30). This is a command, and to disobey it is outright rebellion. The "trust" that Jesus asks for in the Image is not a passive thing. In the pattern of our Lord, we cannot taste the power of the Resurrection without first going the way of the cross. Jesus said that he had come to "give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). German theologian Klaus Schwarzwäller reclaims Christ’s cross and resurrection as God’s wonder and mystery. Max Lucado – “No Wonder They Call Him The Savior” “The cross. To those who were concerned about their eternal destiny, Jesus said, "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. ", The Bible's first answer is that Jesus "was declared to be the Son of God in power … by his resurrection from the dead" (, It showed him to be everything he claimed to be. The basic meaning of the word is very straightforward and in relation to the death of Jesus is extremely important. I have never forgotten that. By nature and choice, we are all separated from God because of our self-centered rebellion against his authority and our determination to go our own way. Dr. John Blanchard is an internationally known Christian author, and his twenty-four books include two of the UK's most widely used evangelistic publications, Right with God and Ultimate Questions. See also earlier installments of this article series: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6. Dr. Blanchard makes his home in Banstead, Surrey, UK. This is why the apostle Paul writes, "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Romans 5:10) and tells early Christians, "You who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). I have laid out the evidence for this stupendous truth elsewhere. For on the cross, God plays with power. As C. S. Lewis put it: [Jesus] has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. What is more, the justified sinner receives eternal life immediately. We all know of people taken prisoner by someone who then demands a ransom. (. Before Jesus died his deity had been ‘veiled' by his humanity, so that, in spite of his character, his teaching, and his miracles, he was in many ways no different from others. The cross is the key that unlocks our hearts and reopens our connection with our Creator. 7. God has ‘zero tolerance' of sin, and his holiness demands that all sin be punished. This is the beginning of the New Creation; a new chapter in cosmic history has opened. As the 20th-century American theologian, Donald Grey Barnhouse put it, "The resurrection of Christ is our receipted bill." They are "slaves of sin" (Romans 6:17). This comes across powerfully when we read that "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18). We need to know both the purpose and the power for us to enjoy maximally our relationship with God with the accompanying benefits in this world and in the world to come. In the New Testament, the original Greek word for ‘propitiation' is sometimes translated "atonement." When I was born again, I received the very life of the risen Lord from Jesus Himself... What Christ’s resurrection means for us is that we are raised to His risen life, not to our old life. When he invited a disciple (ever since known as "Doubting Thomas") to examine the wounds caused by his crucifixion so as to confirm that he had indeed risen, Thomas was convinced and cried out, "My Lord and my God!" As another New Testament writer puts it, "He laid down his life for us'" (1 John 3:16). that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; The symbol of Christianity is an empty cross because the Bible's glorious message is that Jesus is alive today, having triumphed gloriously over sin and death. By nature, we are under the ‘curse' of God's holy law, which pronounces us guilty in his sight. For millions of Christians remembering these events continues to be an important part of every day life. Not even his worst enemies denied that by Sunday morning (Jesus died and was buried on Friday) his tomb was empty. The cross is a Trinitarian event. In other words, the story of the Cross and of Easter really begins at Lk. "Propitiation" means appeasing an offended person by paying the penalty he demands for the offense. Reconciliation means bringing together those who are separated for one reason or another. (4) As the Divine power which raised Christ from the grave was His own power, He rose from the dead by His own power (John, ii, 19; x, 17-18). … Jesus was "imprisoned" by death on behalf of those in whose place he was acting, but when he had paid sin's penalty in full, "God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him" (Acts 2:24). Death did not annihilate him; it glorified him in what it achieved. Live Free with Resurrection Power. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, then He has power to raise the dead. Through His own resurrection Jesus received power and authority to raise us in the day of His return. Study Texts: 1 Corinthians 15:17-19, Philippians 3, 4-11. Darby Bible Translation. Jesus undoubtedly died on the cross. When a ransom has been paid, the captives are set free or redeemed, and this is what happens to those for whom Jesus gave his life. Without the pain and reality of the cross, without the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, without the power of the Resurrection and his final victory … The resurrection is the guarantee of ultimate justice. The Bible teaches that sin not only separates sinners from God but imprisons them. His resurrection did not make Jesus the Son of God, as he has always been so; it proved that he was. This clearly illustrates the overwhelming importance of these events in the story of God's merciful love that Luke is narrating. Many years ago in Britain, there were "debtors' prisons," where those who could not pay what they owed were held under arrest. Are you sure that your sins are forgiven and that when your life on earth ends you will spend eternity in heaven? was voted 'Best Christian Book' in the inaugural UK Christian Book Awards held in 2001. The illustration is not perfect, but the main point is clear. On one occasion over 500 saw him at the same time, and when the apostle Paul recorded this well over half of them were still alive and could confirm the fact (, The Christian church is the largest religious body the world has ever known (over two billion and growing by the thousand every day) and no other group, religious or otherwise, has made a greater contribution to the well-being of humankind. It was a declaration of his deity. What Is the Kingdom of God? Some can be thrown away immediately, while deciding what to do about others is just a matter of choice, with no serious consequences. It always seems to demand life’s most cherished dimensions and details. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Elsewhere God makes the wonderful promise, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13), but he also says, "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). Whatever your age or state of health, at this moment you are twenty-four hours nearer your death than you were at this time yesterday. Yet his resurrection also proved that his death was not a defeat but a glorious victory. The Christian faith is distinctively Trinitarian and cross-shaped. I have been to Buckingham Palace once as a tourist, but never at Her Majesty's invitation. The Cross and the Resurrection. This is a very familiar word. • By the wounds inflicted upon Jesus in his scourging and at the cross, we … The answer lies in the earth-shattering truth that on the third day after he died and was buried Jesus rose from the dead. There is a purpose for which Christ rose from the dead, and there is a power made available to us through His resurrection. Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy. This comes across powerfully, Jesus showed the cost of being the propitiation for sin when on the cross he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION. Resurrection is self-sacrificial. The Proof of Promises Fulfilled: Christ's Resurrection. The Bible tells us that death is the result of sin; so how could Jesus die when he did not have a sinful nature and never committed sin of any kind? This is easier to understand, as to "atone" means to deal with an offense so that the offender and the person offended can be "at one." He alone can give you spiritual life and then sustain you day by day as you seek to live for him. (Ezekiel 33:11). In keeping with that, God presents Jesus' resurrection as a solemn pledge that He will also raise us up through Jesus Christ. Jesus was punished as though he had never been holy so that those in whose place he died could be treated as though they had never been unholy. Jesus was more than an example; he was a substitute, taking the place of those whose sin leaves them spiritually bankrupt and exposed to God's righteous anger. For a complete copy of this series, visit EP Books here.]. For the Joy Set Before Us In other words, for the joy that was set before Paul, he sang in the jails and loved the jailers. We should begin by recognizing that Christ’s love was apparent for us on the cross itself. • Further, we are enabled by the power of the cross of Jesus to live for righteousness. ", [Editor's note: Taken from "Why the Cross?" This is what it means to live the crucified life. Personal Benefit #3 – You have the personal power to do anything (Ephesians 1:19-20, 3:20; Philippians 4:13). It describes what happens when a judge declares that the prisoner before him is not liable to any penalty demanded by the law and is to be treated as though he had never broken it. Some years ago I was in Greece at the time of a general election. to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, English Revised Version. When he invited a disciple (ever since known as "Doubting Thomas") to examine the wounds caused by his crucifixion so as to confirm that he had indeed risen, Thomas was convinced and cried out, "My Lord and my God!" Selected Passages. As the Bible puts it, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). You may receive many invitations of one kind of another. If you returned and saw your guarantor walking the street as a free man you would know that the debt you had incurred had been paid in full on your behalf. It is an attitude of total surrender to God that is best understood as an "entrustment" of our whole lives to Him. He makes the same invitation today. For 2,000 years this has been its driving force and, The first Christian church was known as "the Way" (, ), but if Jesus had remained in the grave "the Way" would have become a dead end! Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God turns on the power to the new life of a living hope (Now) According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…vs 3 It rests on the time line of … THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, THOUGH IN CONTRAST, ARE IN CLOSE ASSOCIATION. III. All who respond to it are promised that they will spend eternity in God's glorious presence in heaven, where there will be no more trials or traumas, fear, or failure, sin or suffering, disease, decay or death. First, the resurrection witnesses to the immense power of God Himself. He won't remember it, and He has released you from it. If not, call upon him now, asking him to have mercy on you and to enable you to lay hold on the promises of the gospel. It is also, as Pope Francis has told us, a healing power. I often think of what various holidays are like for those serving Jesus … Early in the 20th century, several of the popes called the world back to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To those who found life empty, without meaning or purpose, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). If I were to receive a royal invitation I would not treat it like any other, which I might choose to turn down. According to the Holy Father, the Resurrection too is a testimony to Divine Mercy through and through. • Jesus on the cross, bearing our sins, gives us power to die to sins. God declares a person righteous on the basis of the life and death of his Son, who was acting on that person's behalf. Just when power seemingly prevails, its defeat is at hand. On the cross, Jesus took the judgment of your sin—everything inside, everything outside—He completely removed it. The same is true of an infinitely more important invitation, one that comes to everybody from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15). He has met, fought and beaten the King of Death. A holy life becomes an attainable goal. This is what Jesus did in dying on behalf of others: "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). (, Not only are you helplessly exposed to God's righteous anger day after day (even if you are not aware of this), but by rejecting his invitation, made at such unimaginable cost, you are "storing up [God's] wrath" for the day when "God's righteous judgment will be revealed" (, God may not allow you another day, let alone another week, month or year, in which to turn to him. His death on the cross was the essential ransom price so that God's justice could be satisfied and the sinners in whose place Jesus died set free. The cross and the resurrection show that freedom promised is now fully available in Jesus Christ. It might be better to say that the Resurrection is concealed within the Cross. This idea is fatally misleading. Are you certain that you are right with God? He connects with art, history, contemporary culture, and especially Scripture in presenting a trenchant analysis of the modes of power and production that have undergirded both society and the church since the Enlightenment. Divine Mercy Sunday: What's This Feast All About, Anyway? But how can we be sure of this? When Jesus said, ‘Come to me', it was not a casual suggestion or a vague ‘take it or leave it' offer, but a serious and firm instruction. In the temple in Jerusalem, the focal point of the nation's worship, a richly-embroidered veil or curtain separated the "Holy Place" from the "Most Holy Place," the inner sanctuary that represented God's presence. It is a saving power, a reconciling power, a re-creating power, a transforming power. Resurrection power is promised to every believer in Christ and we receive it in the same way that Jesus gave it. It is a force that repudiates and virtually makes a joke of the crucifying powers in the world. If someone had agreed to stand as a guarantor for the debtor and the debtor could not be found, the guarantor could be jailed in his place. His resurrection changed everything, and his divine power over death proved that he was exactly who he claimed to be. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. What do the cross and resurrection mean for us? Yet the church is not based on the moral example Jesus set, nor on his death, but on his resurrection. This is why the apostle Paul claims, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). For example, after St. Peter's confession of faith in Christ in chapter 9 of St. Luke's gospel, the rest of the book tells the story of Jesus' final missionary walk from Galilee to Jerusalem, His arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. If for some strange reason the Roman or Jewish authorities had removed the body from the tomb, they would have produced it as soon as Jesus' followers claimed that he was alive again and the Christian church would have collapsed on the spot. Yet in his dying moments that assurance was gone. In his death, he achieved exactly what God the Father had sent him into the world to do (John 17:4). He gives the same invitation today. That is by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for the sake of our sins. For some forty years I have lived within fifteen miles of Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom's head of state. But there is real dependence also. The justified sinner is brought into God's favor and family and received as though he had met all the demands of God's holy law. This profound insight—that the resurrection confirms that love is the deepest meaning of the crucifixion carries several implications. It is a powerful picture of the urgent need to respond to God's invitation to turn to him while you can. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2021, Christianity.com. This is why orthodox Easter is both the Cross and the Resurrection. Before Jesus died his deity had been ‘veiled' by his humanity, so that, in spite of his character, his teaching, and his miracles, he was in many ways no different from others. These seven big words reveal the most amazing promises, but how can we know that they are true and relevant to us today? In the original language used, Jesus' last cry, "It is finished," is just one word — tetelestai — a word that was often written across a bill when it had been paid in full. The opportunity to do so lasts only for as long as the "sun" of one's life is in the sky — and nobody knows when it will set. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36 … In offering Himself for our sakes in our place, He demonstrated a profound love for us. II. Copyright © 2021 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. We may know the story of Christ's death and resurrection, but what do these events mean for us 2000 years later? God says, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die…?" Is … the power to convey his life to him story without which Christian theology …. Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated Texts! Person in whose place Jesus died, God provided an amazing visual to! Universe and has power to convey his life as a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) has. 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