Understanding God, Myself, and the WorldSample

The power of the Cross

The Cross of Christ is the central symbol of Christianity. We find this symbol everywhere: In our churches, in our homes, as pieces of jewelry around our necks, as tattoos on our bodies, on the covers of our favourite worship albums, etc. Often, when a symbol becomes very familiar to us, it loses its ability to truly impact our lives. This is often the case with the Cross. But it is actually quite strange that a cross would be the central symbol of a religion. 

The cross was an instrument of torture used by the Romans. It was effective because it inflicted both emotional and physical torture. It took days for people to die upon a cross. It was illegal to crucify a Roman citizen, but other people were often crucified. It was also an effective means of shaming people. They would hang naked and exposed on a cross on a platform in a public space. The Romans ensured their suffering was clear for everyone to see. Crucified people would embody a brutal message: If you revolt against the Romans, this is what will happen to you.

But why is it that the Cross is seen as the central symbol of Christianity? A central symbol is something that shows the best, the most aspirational, the very core of something. And the symbol chosen for Christianity is an instrument of torture, oppression, and shame. In Isaiah 53 we see that the Cross is an important emotional symbol that speaks deeply to the human heart because it is the place where God, through Jesus Christ, reached into the darkness and depths of humanity’s suffering and saved us. On the surface, the Cross is a symbol of death and suffering, but Jesus made the Cross a place of salvation and hope. In 1 John 4:7-11, we read how God revealed His unending love for us through the Cross of Christ. Jesus’ death was the propitiation for our sins. This means that through the Cross of Christ, God forgave us of our sins. We no longer stand condemned. We are no longer deserving of wrath. We are no longer shamed by our sins. Rather, we are declared innocent and righteous before God. Jesus took upon Himself the pain, suffering, and shame of the Cross so that we might have eternal life! That is the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ and that is why it is the central symbol of our faith.

Spend some time in prayer, worshipping Jesus for the Cross. Thank Him for what He has done on the Cross for you.