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The Glory of the Cross
The Pharisees were infuriated. Jesus had directed another comment
towards them. He said, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of
Mine, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They
quickly retorted, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been
enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free/?" The
simple folk loved His teaching. But the Pharisees, well, that’s a different story. At
one moment He would say something they liked. But this was one of those infuriating
moments.
The Pharisees had become an epitome of self-righteousness. Jesus said they were ‘the
blind leading the blind.’ This often happens as religious movements evolve. Over
time the Pharisees began to resent Jesus more and more. "After all, everyone knew
they were the holy ones in Israel." But Jesus knew better. The Pharisees
were guilty of shrouding the pure teachings of God’s Word in the grave clothes of
their traditions. Can we be guilty of that today?
But, what did Jesus mean when He said, "And the truth will make you free?"
He was speaking of the work of the cross. Peter sums it up when he says, "He
Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like
sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." (1
Peter 2:24,25)
The message of the cross is glorious. Its glory can be likened to a diamond held up to
the light. It sparkles with radiance. In this teaching we will look some of the radiance
of the cross. (The half has never yet been told.)
- The glory of the cross is the Person of Jesus. John said, "And
the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John
1:14)
When Paul writes of God’s ‘hidden wisdom,’ he says, "For
it they had understood it [i.e., God’s Wisdom] they would not have crucified the Lord
of glory." (1Co2:8)
Herein we see the great mystery of Deity in Christ. The early church had a
confession that included this mystery. (Cf. 1Tim3:16;
6:13-16)
The apostles taught that Jesus is the very radiance of the Father’s glory. Hebrews 1:3, says, "And He is the radiance of
His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word
of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high."
The glory of the cross is found in God’s love. It says, "For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to
judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. " (John3:16,17)
The idea of God’s love is difficult to grasp. Think of it this way.
Would it not be a rare parent who would be unwilling to give their own life for the life
of their child? Listen to Isaiah 49:15,16: "Can a mother forget her
nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I
will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…"
John further tells us that our salvation is not an issue of our love for God, but rather
of God’s love for us. Cf. 1 John 4:7-10.
A major sin of the Pharisees was that they shrouded God’s love with a concept of
works-righteousness. All the while they sought the endearment of the people. They loved
titles and the places of honor at banquets. Jesus said of them, "How can you
believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is
from the one and only God." (John5:44)
(For a fuller description of this attitude see Matthew 23.)
The glory of the cross is found in the word substitution. The
prophet said, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his
own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." (Isaiah
53:6) The Scriptures teach us that the sins of the whole world were placed
upon Jesus. The cross was God’s judgment place. This is part of the great mystery of
our salvation. Jesus is our atonement. Cf. 1John2:1,2.
In the American court system, we have laws that protect people from
‘double jeopardy.’ This means that no citizen of America can be tried twice for
the same offense. In redemption, Jesus was judged guilty and was sentenced for the sins of
all who receive Him as their Savior. There is no sin left unaccounted for. (Unless He
Himself is rejected.) This is why Paul said, "Therefore there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom8:1)
Substitution is a crucial part of our redemption. Cf. Heb7:25;
8:10-12;
9:27,28;
10:10,14.
The glory of the cross is found in the word identification. Identification
has to do with our hidden life. Paul said, "For you have died and your life
is hidden with Christ in God." (Col3:3)
The doctrine of identification with Christ is intertwined with the doctrine of
substitution. When Jesus said, "It is finished" He was speaking of
God’s eternal salvation. God has decreed our salvation so complete, that nothing is
to be added to it, so that for each person who truly confesses Jesus as their Lord and
Savior, their life can never be separated from His life. His merits are placed on our
account. This is why Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…"(Gal2:20)
Cf. Hosea
5:15; 6:1-3;
Rom8:28-30.
The glory of the cross is found in the ministry of the Spirit.
Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his
innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit,
whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because
Jesus was not yet glorified." (John
7:38,39)
Salvation is like a two-sided coin. On one side is our redemption in Christ.
On the other side we have what the Holy Spirit does in us, for us, and through us. In the
new birth, the Holy Spirit comes into our heart as the resurrected, ascended and glorified
Jesus Christ. This is why the Holy Spirit is also called ‘the Spirit of
Christ.’ The Spirit then applies the work of the cross to our hearts and in our
lives. Cf. 2Co3:4-9,
15-18; Gal3:5;
4:6,7.
The Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ and presents them to believers, He empowers
and anoints believers, He enables believers to function in their common priesthood, and He
will in due time present all believers faultless before the throne of God. This is why the
new covenant is called a covenant of the Spirit.
The glory of the cross is found in the word inheritance. In his
commission from the Lord, Paul was told to "Open their eyes so that they may turn
from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may received
forgiveness of sins AND AN INHERITANCE among those who have been sanctified by faith in
Me."(Acts
26:18)
All who come to Jesus are made heirs of righteousness. This means they
have a recognized standing with heaven on the basis of the righteousness of God in Christ.
Believers are co-heirs with Christ. We are also called heirs of God. One day we
will enter into a vast inheritance. What this inheritance is, is not fully revealed in
this life. The guarantee that we have an inheritance is the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul
said, "[The Holy Spirit] is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to
the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory." (Eph1:14)
The glory of the cross is in the rule of Christ. The true test that
a person is of the kingdom of God is always found in their relationship to Jesus. The
apostle said, "He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for
themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." (2Co5:15)
The word kanon in Greek means ‘a rule’ or ‘a measuring
stick.’ The new covenant has its own rule of measurement in determining if a person
really belongs to Jesus. It is the only covenant to have this special rule. Complete this
study with Gal6:14-18. (Cf. Phil3:1-3)
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