Crossing Points
The cross is at the centre of Christianity. Without it, Christianity loses its point. Our sins separate us from God and from each other. For God this was not an acceptable position. God loves us and values us but our actions have produced a gulf between God and us. This is not a gap that we can bridge ourselves: it is beyond our capabilities. God’s remedy for this situation was Jesus.
Two thousands years ago God took on human form in an insignificant part of the Middle East. Jesus taught that, through him, our sins can be forgiven. The result though was that we nailed Jesus to a cross. It was our sins – then and throughout history – that nailed Him there. Crucifixion is one of the most horrific ways that man has created for killing someone. God loved us so much that he allowed us to reject Him and kill Jesus on the cross. In a similar way, small children will vent their unreasonable anger on their parents – but generally that does not stop the parents loving their children. And so, God does not abandon us. Jesus was raised from the dead – a sign that sin and death have been conquered by God. It is through the cross that God has saved us. It is a cause for us to be joyful because the barriers created by sin have been torn down for ever.
The sacrifice that Jesus made in allowing us to crucify him testifies to the importance of sin and the price God was prepared to pay to save us. Such love demands a response from us.
David Bradshaw
March 2008