Why The Cross Is The Answer
I Cor. 1:17 – “For the preaching of the Cross is to them who perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God”
THE CROSS
Some people often wonder, How is it that the Cross of Christ is the answer? They have heard us declare that the only means to have victory in one’s life is by and through the finished work of Christ and our faith in that great work. Still, they wonder to themselves or others, How could that be possible? It is possible for the following reasons: when Christ died upon the Cross, He atoned for all sin—past, present, and future—for all who would simply believe. This means that when the individual comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by simple faith that all of their sins have been atoned. This means that the Cross settled the sin debt that hung over mankind. This sin debt could not be assuaged by the means of self-effort or by the means of entitlement, but only through the means of faith in what Jesus Christ accomplished for us at Calvary’s Cross. When the believing sinner comes to that point of accepting Christ as their Lord and Saviour, at that very moment in time, they are totally and completely forgiven and, at the same time, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. It is His blood, and His blood alone that can take a black heart, wash it in red blood, and make that heart as white as the driven snow. It was done at the Cross, and the only requirement is to simply believe.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
With all sin atoned, the Holy Spirit, who is God, now has the legal right and ability to come in to the heart and life of that believer and to function as only He can function. We must understand that the Holy Spirit is God—the third member of the triune Godhead—and that there is nothing that He cannot do. In fact, everything that is done on this planet, with the exception of the first advent (coming) of Christ, is done by and through the person, office work, and agency of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we (believers) must comprehend that only the Holy Spirit can carry out whatever it is that we as Christians need. This speaks of righteousness, holiness, uprightness, the fruit of the Spirit, etc. Only the Holy Spirit can carry out these great works in our lives, and we have to know that we cannot do these ourselves. Within our own strength and ability, it is futile. But with the Holy Spirit, nothing is impossible.
FAITH
Last, with all of the abovementioned, most would wonder, What is it that I do? For the Holy Spirit to have the opportunity and ability to carry out His work, He requires that the only thing that we do is to simply have faith. But, that needs clarification. He requires that our faith must ever be anchored and rooted in the finished work of Christ. He will not accept faith in our own personal works. He will not accept faith in our church attendance. He will not accept faith in the doing of religious activities. Only faith in Christ and Him crucified is required for the Holy Spirit to do what He alone can do in our hearts and lives. We find this in Luke 9:23, where Jesus would explain to His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross daily, and follow Me.” This means that we are to deny our abilities and strengths and depend upon the Cross of Christ for everything, and then we can and will be His disciples.
Simply put, we must understand this: Jesus Christ is the source of all blessings, the Cross is the means by which these blessings are received, faith in Christ and the Cross is the key that unlocks the door, and the Holy Spirit oversees everything.
Share this Post
No one has commented on this article yet. Leave your comment below!
0 Comments