Mankind’s greatest problem is sin. All who have reached the age and ability to distinguish right from wrong have sinned (Rom. 3:23). The wages of sin is eternal condemnation (Rom. 6:23a).
No matter how many good deeds we do, good deeds alone cannot atone for sin. Alone, we are hopeless.
Yet, God planned a means by which hopeless sinners doomed for eternal death can become joyful saints granted eternal life (Rom. 6:23b).
This plan of redemption centers on His Son. Though Jesus Christ is deity, He took upon Himself “the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7-8).
As a man, Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). He was then offered as a sacrifice on the cross, so our sins could be atoned for (1 Pet. 1:19). At the cross, Jesus followed through with this part of God’s plan of salvation.
It is significant that Jesus willingly went to the cross. He could have called twelve legions of angels to prevent His death (Matt. 26:53). Instead, Jesus chose to give His life for mankind (Heb. 12:2).
Because He chose to go to the cross, it is now possible for us to be redeemed from the bondage of sin (Eph. 1:7), and to be reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10). Because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, it is possible for us to spend eternity in heaven instead of spending eternity in hell.
When we understand the significance of the cross of Christ, it leaves no room for arrogance. We have no reason to boast except in Christ’s death (Gal. 6:14).
This does not mean the blood of Christ nullifies our responsibilities in receiving salvation. God’s grace is a gift, but He extends this gift to those who come to Him on His terms.
God has determined that for the blood of Christ to redeem us, we must trust and obey God. The blood of Christ was shed “for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Obedience to Christ’s will is also “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). In other words, for us to access the benefits of Christ’s blood, we must faithfully obey Him (Phil. 2:12).
After Christ’s death, He was raised, and commissioned His apostles to tell the world about Him (Mark 16:15-16). Their message was to center on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and how mankind must respond.
The apostles obeyed and taught Christ’s doctrine. Christ sent them the “Spirit of truth” to ensure this was so (John 16:13). God confirmed the apostle’s “word with signs following” (Mark 16:20).
What the apostles taught by inspiration is that man is lost without Christ, and that for one to be saved, he or she must “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
The message of salvation has not changed. The benefits Christ made possible through His death are reaped by those who respond to the message of Christ with belief and confession of who He is, repentance (turning from sin to obedience), and baptism in the name of Christ “for the remission of sins.” This is God’s pattern for getting “into Jesus Christ” (Rom. 6:3; cf. Gal. 3:27).
After one becomes a Christian, the sacrifice of Christ should motivate us to love God as He did (1 John 4:19; 5:3). If we submit to His will, the blood Jesus shed on the cross will cleanse us from all sin (see 1 John 1:7).
May we appreciate the cross of Christ. May we recognize both what He did, and what we must do to be saved.
– Michael Hickox