The Beauty of the Cross

Probably the most recognizable element of Christianity is the cross. Look around and you can find buildings, books, jewelry, artwork, and clothes emblazoned with the cross.

What makes the cross so special?

The cross is special because it is where the God of the universe, in the form of an innocent man, laid down his life for ours. It was supposed to be our punishment, for our sin. Knowing the fate that awaited us, and our inability to escape it, Jesus preemptively took the punishment.

As a result, we have the freedom to come to Him at any time and make the greatest exchange ever. We trade our hurting for His hope. He has already done the hard work, all we must do is humble ourselves enough to ask.

This is also what makes Christianity unique. There is no other religion whose god comes down to them first, who loves them first, even in their brokenness. In other religions, everything is focused on earning your way to god. You must prove your own worth, and earn your own righteousness.

While the world’s religious systems trap you in a prison of your own failures, Jesus Christ offers the freedom of forgiveness.

Out of His love for you, He did what you could not do for yourself.

As Max Lucado puts it: “Jesus decided that he would rather die, than live without you.”

So what makes the cross so special?

The cross represents the ultimate love story. God’s love story for you.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 (ESV)

“Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.” — Isaiah 35:4–6 (NLT)

Attribution: Painting by Kume Bryant. Image by Jeremy Booth.