Category: A new life in Christ

The Cross


The cross of Jesus Christ is more than a symbol, although it became an international symbol in time. It was an instrument of torture and death in the Roman Empire because it was a horrible way to die. A person could hang on a cross for up to two or three days before they would die, suffering from fluid build-up around their heart and all of the pain that it caused being hung by their arms for many hours. If their feet were nailed to the cross, they had to push up on that nail just to take a breath. It was cruel punishment but also a deterrent to other criminals because it was the punishment they would get if they did the same crime.

Dying on a cross was a spectacle because it took time for those punished in this way to die. It wasn’t quick like hanging or the guillotine although they were used later as execution became a way to deter crime. So, why did Jesus have to die in this way? Because it was foretold that He would. That is what Psalm 22 describes in detail yet crucifixion wasn’t being used at the time that David wrote it. God uses many things and people in their way and in His time to accomplish His purposes.

Jesus paid the price for our sins, all of humanity’s sins, even though many will not believe in Him for their salvation. The debt has been paid but unless you acknowledge it and believe in the One who paid for it for your salvation…you will not be saved from an eternity in hell. What a terrible thing to refuse the offer of your sin debt being paid for entirely and then spend eternity in hell because of that refusal. It is your choice that sends you to hell not God or Jesus. Even if you’ve been “basically good” all of your life but you never got around to accepting Jesus as your Savior, it is up to you to refuse to accept Him which will send you to hell.

Hitler is in hell, not because of his war against the Jewish people, but because he refused to accept God or Jesus as his Savior. Although I would think that his treatment of the Jewish people is making his punishment much worse than it would’ve been. God loves all of humanity and He calls many who may accept Jesus as their Savior. Even some of those who have been called may not answer that call to become a disciple of Jesus. Some will put the decision off until later and some will refuse it entirely. God knows who will accept His offer and who will not.

John 3:16,17 says:  16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Finished…


The work that God sent Jesus to do was finished on the cross, no amount of work or money, or effort is required by us. We can’t add anything to the work that He completed. Jesus came to bring salvation to those who would take hold of it, yet there are many who will not because they want their own “way” to get to eternity. The problem with this thinking is that all of us have eternity ahead of us, yet it is the quality of our eternity that we should seek after.

Some have believed the lie that after you die there is no enjoyment or feeling even though the Bible says that we do have joy and life to enjoy into eternity with God. The life that we have here on Earth is fleeting and less than we expect it to be regardless of the amount of fame or money that we have. It seems that, in many ways, those who have little are the most content in this life. They have fewer “problems”, especially mental issues. They may have more medical problems than some who can afford treatment options but most of the “poor” have greater faith in God. They depend on Him for their satisfaction in life and for their provisions in this life as well.

So, when Jesus said that the poor are blessed…He meant it. God does bless them because they depend upon Him for many things in their life. Those who supposedly “have it all” don’t search for God and His provision because they feel that they don’t need Him. Yet, when some diagnosis comes along that their wealth can’t provide an avenue toward a cure…that is when they seek out prayer and fellowship with people who have placed their faith in God.

No, there is nothing that we can contribute toward our salvation except to accept it when it is offered to us by faith. God provides that to each of us and when we feel it and know that we need it, we shouldn’t turn away from it because the opportunity may not come again. I pray that everyone who reads this will consider the sacrifice that God went through to bring the possibility of salvation to each of us.