Why? The Cross
“Say among the heathen that the Lord reigns from the tree.” Psa.96:10a
In the first century A.D. the scribes and Pharisees decided to remove the underlined part of that verse because it was offensive to them that this Scripture prophesied that the Messiah would die on the cross and then reign from that cross. The throne of Jesus is forever to be a part of the cross of Calvary.
Why? Most would consider the cross as a point of defeat. What was it that was so powerful in the cross that the Son of God, Jesus, would choose to establish His eternal throne there?
The cross is the place of the shedding of much blood. Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” The shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross provides salvation to those who will accept His completed work on Calvary as payment for their sin.
This makes Calvary a bloody and repulsive event. Yet Jesus, God the Son, has chosen to place His throne at Calvary. In Revelation 6:16 Jesus is referred to as the ‘Lamb.’ In Revelation 5:6a we read, “And I beheld, and, Lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.” Here Jesus, the Lamb of God, is seen as having been slain.
God the Son has chosen to be seen as the Lamb of God slain for the sin of the whole world. This is not the way one would expect that God the Son would like to be viewed for all eternity. Consider, though, what actually happened on the cross of Calvary and is usually overlooked.
In Matthew 27:46 we find, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” At this point God the Father has turned His back on God the Son, Jesus, because Jesus is carrying the sin of all that have ever lived and will ever live.
God the Father is pouring out His infinite eternal wrath due to all who have ever lived or will live upon Jesus as Jesus carries their sin and pays for it. God the Son and God the Father have loved each other for an eternity with an infinite love and now Jesus has lost all communication with God the Father and is bearing the full wrath of God the Father. The sheer magnitude of the pain of losing the infinite loving fellowship with God the Father and absorbing the full impact of God the Father’s infinite wrath caused Jesus to cry out.
Jesus as God the Son absorbed all of that wrath, taking it in the place of all humanity. He not only absorbed all of that wrath but was able to fully satisfy the wrath of God the Father that was due to all humanity. When Jesus had accomplished this incredible feat He said, “It is finished.” John 19:30.
God the Son, Jesus, in this one act of paying for the sin of all humanity accomplished an act more powerful than that which was accomplished at creation. No other act of God will ever be more powerful than that act, the act of Jesus taking on the infinite wrath of almighty God the Father and completing it to the full satisfaction of God the Father.
Isaiah looking forward to what Jesus would do on Calvary said, “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11.
God the Father was satisfied with the payment Jesus offered for the sin of all humanity. Now those who will accept Jesus’ payment for their sin, asking Him to save them, will become a permanent part of the family of God and have a permanent residence with God the Son.
What a glorious opportunity to have all of our sin paid for and given full fellowship with the God of the Universe for all eternity instead of spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
All that is needed is to call on God and ask to be forgiven based on the payment Jesus made for us. Romans 10:13 tells us, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Also in Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.”
If a person will bow their heart to God and tell Him that they know that they are a sinner and believe that Jesus died and paid for their sins, then ask for God to save them, taking away their sin, then God will definitely save them. God cannot lie and His promise is open to all that will simply call upon Him and ask Him in. If this is what you would like to do, tell this to God.
“Dear God, I believe that I am a sinner and deserve to spend eternity separated from you in the Lake of Fire. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose again the third day. I turn away from my own efforts to earn my way to heaven and put my trust in what Jesus did for me to pay for my sins. Please forgive me of my sin and come into my heart. Thank you. Amen.”
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