The Cross

The cross is where the gospel becomes visible. Strip away the ornament and you are left with wood, blood, and a verdict from heaven: sin is that serious, and love is that costly.

What Happened There

Isaiah saw it centuries early:

Isaiah 53:5

Isaiah 53:6

Paul names the exchange: 2 Corinthians 5:21

Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. That is Atonement. That is also Propitiation: the righteous wrath of God against sin, satisfied by God Himself in the offering of His Son. 1 John 4:10

Not an Accident

Jesus was not a martyr caught in politics. He gave Himself. Romans 5:8 The Father sent the Son. The Spirit applies the finished work. See who God is if that sentence is still foggy.

Peter says it without poetry: He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. 1 Peter 2:24

After the Cross

The gospel does not end on Friday. He was buried, and He rose. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 The tomb was empty. Matthew 28:6 An occupied tomb would mean an unfinished altar.

If you are only skimming, this is the paragraph to keep: the cross is not God pretending sin is small. It is God dealing with sin in full, so that sinners may be welcomed in full.

John Stott, The Cross of Christ