Redemption and the Theology of Cross

We cannot fully appreciate what Jesus did for us on the cross if we do not fully appreciate our own sinfulness, if we do not realize that we deserve condemnation. In other words, if people are not truly evil, then Jesus died for nothing. The theologian-preacher Dallas Willard was asked if he believed in total depravity, and he answered this way: “I believe in sufficient depravity– that is, we are all sufficiently depraved that when we get to heaven no one will be able to say ‘I did this on my own.’”

This is why the Bible makes a big deal about our sinful natures, about how none of us deserve heaven or eternal life. This is why the Old Testament shows clearly how God feels about sin. John R.W. Stott summarized it well:
“It is difficult to understand those who cling to the doctrine of the fundamental goodness of human nature, and do so in a generation which has witnessed two devastating world wars and especially the horrors which occasioned and accompanied the second. It is even harder to understand those who attribute this belief to Jesus Christ. For he taught nothing of the kind. Jesus taught that within the soil of every man’s heart there lie buried the ugly seeds of every conceivable sin (“evil thoughts, acts of fornication, of theft, murder, adultery, ruthless greed, and malice; fraud, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly” – Matt 15:19). All thirteen are ‘evil things’, and they come out of the heart of ‘the man’ or ‘the men’, every man. This is Jesus Christ’s estimate of fallen human nature…. The biblical doctrine of ‘total depravity’ means neither that all humans are equally depraved, nor that nobody is capable of any good, but rather that no part of any human person (mind, emotions, conscience, will, etc.) has remained untainted by the fall.”

Stott also wrote much about the New Testament theology of the cross… and the secular world’s reactions to it: “What is there about the cross of Christ which angers the world and stirs them up to persecute those who preach it? Just this: Christ died on the cross for us sinners, becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). So, the cross tells us some very unpalatable truths about ourselves, namely that we are sinners under the righteous curse of God’s law and we cannot save ourselves. Christ bore our sin and curse precisely because we could gain release from them in no other way. If we could have been forgiven by our own good works, by being circumcised and keeping the law, we may be quite sure that there would have been no cross.

Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’ Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross that we shrink to our true size. And of course, men do not like it. They resent the humiliation of seeing themselves as God sees them and as they really are. They prefer their comfortable illusions. So they steer clear of the cross. They construct a Christianity without the cross, which relies for salvation on their works and not on Jesus Christ’s. They do not object to Christianity so long as it is not the faith of Christ crucified. But Christ crucified they detest. And if preachers preach Christ crucified, they are opposed, ridiculed, persecuted. Why? Because of the wounds which they inflict on men’s pride.”

According to bishop J.C. Ryle, “Be very sure of this, people never reject [the gospel message] because they cannot understand it. They understand it only too well; they understand that it condemns their own behavior; they understand that it witnesses against their own sins, and summons them to judgment.”

Because of human sin, both original and universal, no one can “earn” heaven — only the sinless Jesus. And no one else can get us there. Jesus told his disciples that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him (Matt 28:18) and that, “No one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6).

Understand that the goal of all this emphasis on sin is to help us to achieve that sense of conviction that leads us to completely surrender our life to God– to “fall on the mercy of the court” so to speak. This surrender to God begins the process that leads eventually to our receiving the full benefits of salvation.

However, if I am not convinced that I am worthy of condemnation, then Jesus’ act means little and I will feel no need to surrender to God. See what Jesus told the Pharisees when the woman “sinner” (presumably a past prostitute) cleaned his feet with her tears: “For whomever is forgiven much, loves much” (Luke 7:36-50).

Following the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, I expect that the poor, the homeless, the depressed, the addicted, the ugly, the rejected, the persecuted, and all the “have-nots” of this world are especially advantaged in the spiritual area. The people who are more aware of their inadequacies and sins are also more likely to appreciate forgiveness and redemption when they get it. These are the people who will perceive their need for God; they are the ones who will open the door wide when our Lord knocks! If you are on the bottom now, do not despair, it is an advantage in the Kingdom! However, if you are proud of your abilities and insist on being successful according this world’s standards, and if you are self-promoting and seek to be a “big shot,” then you are forfeiting eternal treasures.

To summarize, yes, God does love us just the way we are, but He also loves us too much to leave us this way. There are only two simple conditions for us to fully receive His free eternal life and transformation. We must first (1) confess the ugly truth about ourselves … or else we will see no need to (2) entrust ourselves completely into His hands, believing that His sacrifice on the cross was effective for our forgiveness and redemption.

Only Jesus’ death and my acceptance of His death on the cross… in my place… can fix me. It allows God to make me into His child, to sanctify me and make me perfect… in His own good time.

This is what God promises to believers as a result of Christ’s death. Without the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on that cross, we cannot be saved. However, by receiving the blood of Christ in faith, we can have peace with God and with ourselves… throughout eternity.

Prayer: Holy Father, we will thank you forever for sending your Son Jesus to suffer and die for us on that ‘old rugged cross’– to redeem our lives and bring us into your divine family. Amen and amen.

Dr. Bruce Atkinson is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary with an M.A. in theology and Ph.D. in clinical psychology. He also has an M.S. in research psychology from Illinois State University and a B.A. from Beloit College. He is a veteran who served in the USAF medical corps, including a year in Vietnam in aeromedical evacuation. He is a member of the Anglican Church in North America and is both Moderator and a frequent contributor for VirtueOnline.

Redemption and the Theology of Cross

Bruce Atkinson Ph.D.
www.virtueonline.org
August 12, 2024

Why is the cross the central symbol of Christianity? The derivative words “crux,” “crucial,” and “crossroads” reminds us of its pivotal meaning. Of course, the Cross of Calvary would have lost its essential meaning if it were not for events that came after it which proved its divine value, that is, the Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, and the subsequent 2000+ year growth of the Christian Church despite constant persecution.

The divine power shown in these later events have underlined the importance of the cross, and proved that it was indeed God-as-human who suffered this horrible death. Much was revealed; humanity was revealed as having a terrible sin nature and God was revealed as having a divine nature of sacrificial love and mercy. Calvary will always be the highest (best and worst) point of human history, the ultimate ‘tipping point’ where the conflict between heaven and earth was resolved. That resolution continues to be worked out in our own individual lives, step by step.

“So why did Jesus, this perfect and therefore unique example of humanity (in fact, God in human form), have to be rejected, abandoned, tortured, and killed?” Here is the simple but profound Christian answer: it should have been you and me! This is why it is called redemption;we are redeemed, saved from a similar fate that we most certainly had coming. He took our place.