It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Without Christ’s death on the cross, there is no gospel. It is through Jesus’ sacrifice that God the Father has made it possible for sinful men and women to have fellowship with Him. If we want to know God, we must meet Him in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Only through the cross does God show both justice in punishing sin and mercy in pardoning it, paving the way for people like you and me to enter heaven without spoiling its holiness. The cross is God’s answer both to sin itself and to His anger against sin. To those who don’t believe, God’s answer sounds absolutely foolish, but those who do believe understand the cross to be the very power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
If God were simply to overlook sin or to stop being angry at it, then He would cease to be God; for God’s justice is inherent in His character, and justice demands that sin is punished. He cannot turn a blind eye to evil. This is wonderful news for us when we are sufferers at the hands of others; it is also sobering news for us because we are sinners ourselves.
The cross of Christ is the way that God can be just and declare innocent sinners who have placed their faith in this crucified Savior. In order to deal with sin, God in His grace sent His own Son to take the punishment that sinners deserve. Our salvation is by way of substitution. Pause to reflect on this. It is staggering, first that God would come up with this plan, and second that He would go through with it. Considering the cross should always move us to awed and humble praise.
This substitution is why all the Old Testament sacrifices point to Jesus. In Christ’s death, God’s anger, which is His righteous disposition towards sin, is satisfied, and His love for us is magnified. Men and women who come to trust in Jesus no longer need to face His wrath; we’re invited instead to rejoice at the love displayed at the cross. Indeed, all of the gospel’s blessings and benefits become ours as a result of what Jesus has accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection.
Jesus came to bear all of God’s condemnation of sin. When Christ took our place, He brought the judgment that we deserve and are due to face on the last day to the cross, so that we might stand before God’s throne and say, “I’m with Him. He lived the life I could not live. He died in my place.”
In his first letter, John writes of how at times “our heart condemns us” (1 John 3:20). This is an experience common to all humanity. But the Christian does not need to sear their conscience in order to still the condemnatory voice, nor must they be crushed by that voice. We can be very honest about the depth of our sinfulness because God’s love is deeper still. “There is … now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Jesus came to meet us at the cross. Forgiven sinner, will you meet Him and marvel at Him there?
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Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotional by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, The Good Book Company.
