
It’s quite surprising that the cross is probably the most common symbol of Christianity. It is, after all, a symbol of torture and execution. However, when we understand the good news of Jesus, the reason becomes obvious.
In church at the moment we’re thinking about a four point summary of the message of Jesus – the good news or gospel. This summary is found in a booklet called Knowing God Personally and we’re having a little series of posts to think a bit further about each of the four points.
This time we’re looking at the truth that at the cross Jesus provided the solution for the problem we discussed in the last post: everyone is a sinner, rebelling against God and so divided from him and facing eternal punishment. This is both terrible news and not what we were created for. We were in fact made to know God and Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection provide the only way to restore that relationship between human beings and God for all eternity.
Let me try and explain by answering a few questions.
Who is Jesus?
The Bible tells us Jesus is unique, both fully God and fully man. So Jesus’ close friend and follower, John, said of Jesus (“the Word”).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1 NIVUK)
And another close friend and follower, Peter, is recorded saying this:
‘Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
(Acts 2:22 NIVUK)
This make Jesus unique. He was unique as a human, in that he lived a perfect (without any sin) life (Hebrews 4:15). But he was also in a unique position, as both fully God and fully human, to be the mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:5).
Why did he die?
A mediator reconciles two alienated parties and that’s what Jesus does for us at the cross. This is why he died.
The great Christian missionary of the New Testament, Paul wrote:
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
(Romans 5:10 NIVUK)
How does that work? In short Jesus died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserved for our sins. He could do that because he was perfect (he didn’t have his own sins to deal with). And by doing that he created a way for us to be forgiven and brought back into relationship with God. This was prophesied in the Old Testament by a man called Isaiah:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5 NIVUK)
And Peter recognised that Isaiah was talking about Jesus:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
(1 Peter 3:18 NIVUK)
Why did he rise?
But Jesus didn’t stay dead. We read repeated reports in the Bible of his resurrection and the appearances he made to his friends and followers. For example:
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
(Acts 1:3 NIVUK)
The resurrection shows us that Jesus is God (Romans 1:4). It also proves Jesus’ victory over sin and its punishment death (1 Corinthians 15:54-58). In other words, it offers us hope that with our sins forgiven, our great enemy death is defeated and so we can trust Jesus when he says:
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die
(John 11:25 NIVUK)
Is he the only way?
The final question we might ask is about the uniqueness of this good news about Jesus. Is this the only way to be saved from sin, death and hell? We live in a world where people often suggest all religions are of equal value and all provide a way to God. Jesus did not think this.
Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
(John 14:6 NIVUK)
And, not surprisingly, his followers preached the same message.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
(Acts 4:12 NIVUK)
But this isn’t the end of the story. Because the story asks each one of us a question. It’s not enough just to know the story, the question for us will be what we do with the story and we’ll consider that more in our next post. If you want to jump ahead, then have a look at the Knowing God Personally booklet.