1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. And to those of the world, the cross is just that, death. While those that believe, the cross stands for our salvation. It stands for our debt being paid, without us paying the cost.
1 Peter 2:24-25 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. He nailed our sins to the cross, and bared our shame, so we could be redeemed. But it stands not just for what Christ did for us, but that we may die to sin. The cross stands as a representation of our dedication to our lives of sin dying and being re-born in His image.
Vernon Grounds tells of an incident that happened while he was in seminary. Since the school had no gymnasium, he and his friends played basket ball in a nearby public school.
Nearby, an elderly janitor waited patiently until the seminarians finished playing. Invariably he sat there reading his Bible. One day my friend asked him what he was reading. The man answered, "The book of Revelation." Surprised, my friend asked if he understood it. "Oh, yes," the man assured him. "I understand it." "What does it mean?" Quietly the janitor answered, "It means that Jesus is gonna win.'" Grounds concludes, "That's the best commentary I have ever heard on that book. Jesus is going to win. That's the Biblical mind-set."
Not only is He going to win, but the victory has already been won at the cross. So what has the cross accomplished? Some have called our present age the ''me'' generation. That is, no matter what's going on, either good or bad, it must be all about me. This generation is prone to ask questions such as, ''What's in it for me?'' - or ''What do I get out of this?'' This Narcissistic and selfish attitude can even invade the church.
'What's in it for me?'' This can be a destructive question but it's not a bad question to ask concerning the cross. In fact, this was the very question Paul answered for us in Ephesians 2. In verse 14-18 Paul listed four benefits of Jesus' death on the cross.
Ephesians 2:14-18 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
The cross brought all of humanity together. It brought us back into right standing with the Father. And the cross gave all that would except it, take it up daily, and crucify their old lives to it, complete VICTORY. May we be overwhelming filled with joy and thanks for what Christ did for us. Not just today, but everyday.
