There is nothing more certain in time or eternity than what Jesus Christ did upon the cross. He made redemption the basis of human life, restoring the whole of humanity to a right relationship with God. The cross of Jesus stands unique and alone. It is not the cross of a man or a woman; it is the cross of God, the exhibition of his nature. No parallel to it exists in human experience.
The cross was a superb triumph. It was the revelation of God’s judgment on sin; it shook the foundations of hell. Never tolerate the idea that Jesus Christ went to the cross as a martyr. The cross didn’t happen to Jesus; he came on purpose for it. Jesus is “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world ” (Revelation 13:8). God became flesh in order to defeat sin, not for self-realization. The incarnation was entirely for the redemption.
The cross is the center of time and eternity, the answer to the enigmas of both. It is the gateway by which any member of humanity can enter into union with God—yet when we get to the cross we do not pass through it. Rather, we abide in the life it has made possible for us, a life of communion with God.
The center of salvation is the cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The cross is the point where God and sinful humanity merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the heart of God.
