THE NECESSITY CHRIST’S CRUCIFIXION

1 Corinthians 15:1-9, 12-20; 1:18; Rom. 1:16

It is not the material cross, the physical wooden cross on which Christ died that brought our salvation. It is the person who died on it, whose vicarious death brought us salvation from the penalty of sin. Many people today have made the emblem of the cross an idol which the worship. They have side-olined Christ while embracing the physical emblem.

“There are abundant examples in history where most of the ancient cultures utilized the cross as an execution instrument…” the Egyptians, Romans, Carthaginians, Persians and Greeks (James A Fowler, The Cross of Christ, 1999). The Jews employed stoning, but the Romans brought it into use in Israel during their occupation and it was used as the instrument upon which they executed Christ.

Death by crucifixion is one the most excruciating, painful and agonizing form of death. It was used for slaves, foreigners and traitors. When criminals were crucified, they displayed them for all to see, to serve as a deterrent to others who may rebel.

Today we are not concentrating on the cross of the crucifixion. We are concentrating on the work that was finished by Christ through His death on the cross.

The Meaning Of The Cross To Believers              (1Cor.15:1-4)

The cross is a symbol of torture and execution. During the time of Christ it was a despised instrument. Rev. James Fowler wrote, “Would you want to wear a gold plated noose or gallows had Christ been hanged, or a gold-plated guillotine had Christ been beheaded, or a gold-plated electric chair had Christ been electrocuted, or a gold-plated syringe had Christ been lethally injected? (The Cross of Christ, James A. Fowler, 1999). The early Church could not and did not use the cross as ornament. They developed the symbol of the fish because the Greek word for fish was itchthus was used as an acrostic for( Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr),  Jesus Christ, God’s Son, saviour”. How time has changed.

We definitely should not venerate or hold the cross in high regard. We should instead focus our worship and veneration on the person who died on the cross – Jesus Christ our Lord. It is very easy for men to begin to worship the creature rather than the Creator. For this same reason King Hezekiah removed the brass serpent that Moses made in the wilderness (2Kings 18:4)

The Cross simply means that Christ has voluntarily died for our sins and risen to reconcile the world to Himself.

It is also used to denote the life lived as a result of our faith in Christ.  The mystical interpretation of the cross can be seen in the use of the cross in our hymns – When I survey the wondrous cross… A very lovely hymn but we should beware not to focus on the physical instrument, but rather to focus on the person of the One who died on the cross.

His Death and Resurrection Were According To Scriptures

        i.            Christ  Is The Lamb Of God Who Takes Away The Sin Of The World (Exodus 12:3; Isa.53:7; John 1:29; 1John 2:2)

      ii.            Christ Is The Suffering Servant Of Yahweh (Isa.52:13-15; 53:1-12)

    iii.            Christ Died For Our Sins (John 1:29; 1Cor. 11:23-26; 1Pet.2:24; Dan.9:26)

    iv.            Prophets Foretold Of His Death and Resurrection (Hosea 6:1-2; Psalm 16:8-11; Mathew 12:38-40; Zech.13:37)

When God instituted the Passover, He commanded each family to take a lamb without blemish and kill it the night He delivered them out the land of Egypt. It was a picture of Christ who would in the ages to come be crucified as a ransom for many.

The prophet Isaiah saw Christ as the suffering servant of Yaweh (Isa.52:13-15; 53:1-12). Christ died for our sin that we live for God. He did not die for Himself (Dan.9:26).

Isaiah 52:13-15 graphically describe the suffering of Christ and His resurrection. His appearance was so marred beyond human recognition. He was flogged (39 lashes with stone studded whips); He was spat upon, They put a crown of thorns upon His head.

Isaiah 53:1-12 explained the reason why this was done to Him  - for our sins, our transgressions, our grief and our sorrows; our peace; our healing; our iniquity.

Hid Death Wrought Atonement For Our Sins

                                   i.            Christ Died To Reconcile Us To God

                                 ii.            Christ Carried Our Sin and The Punishment of It (Heb.9:28; Isa. 5:12; 1Pet. 2:24;)

                               iii.            He Was Made To Be Sin (2Cor.5:21; Gal.3:13)

                               iv.            His Death Removed The Righteous wrath Of God (Rom.3:25-26; Heb.2:17; 1John 2:2; 4:10)

Somebody had said that the English word ‘atone’ means at-one-ness, which immediately implies reconciliation. Christ was given to be the “Propitiation” for our sins. That word means a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath to the end and in so doing changes the wrath of God towards us into favour. Christ’s suffering and death made God propitious, i.e., favourable towards us

While we were yet sinners, we had these four needs

                    (i)            We deserve to die and the penalty of sin

                  (ii)            We deserve To bear God’s wrath against sin

                (iii)            We are separated from God by our sins (Isaiah 59:1-2)

                (iv)            We are in bondage to sin and to Satan

We were dead in trespasses and sins; we fulfilled the desires of the flesh and of the mind; the wrath of God was upon us; we were without Christ; without God;  we had no hope of salvation;  we were afar of from God and from His salvation. Then Christ came (Eph.2:1-8).

Solution:

(1)   Christ died as a sacrifice for us (Heb.9:26)

(2)   Christ died as a propitiation for our sins (1John 4:10)

(3)   Christ reconciled us to God (2Cor.5:18-19)

(4)   Christ gave His Life as ransom for many (Mark 10:45; Rom.6:11, 14)

Atonement is associated with our sin and Christ’s death made amends for our sin (Leviticus 16:27-30; 23:27-28). Without the blood of Christ, atonement would be impossible (Lev.17:11; Heb.9:22). The animal Israelites used for the atonement was an innocent animal – a lamb without blemish (Exodus 12:5) which was a picture of the future atonement for our sins by Christ Jesus. Christ’s atonement is not just for a few people. It is for many and if every human on earth would come to Christ, He would save them all!

Our redemption, our justification our sanctification and our glorification was finished by His death and resurrection. Christ reconciles all creation; He reconciles all things to God (Eph.2:16; Col.1:20).

Jesus has done everything that can be done for sin (Gal.5:11; 6:12; 6:14)

Our old self; unregenerate self was crucified, and now we have become Christians, the old man is laid aside (Eph.4:22; Col. 3:9). We now have a new nature (Eph.4:22; Col. 3:10; 2Cor.5:17; John 1:12).

Our response to Christ then is that we must now voluntarily deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him. Let us read those references (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27). We should not interpret these passages mystically, as if Christ was referring to His own cross before He died on it. He is not referring to a physical cross. He is using a metaphor (an imagery). The practice during His work on earth was that the condemned criminal carried his own cross to the place of crucifixion. Christ is using that metaphor to tell us what will be involved in following Him

To carry our cross daily means that we voluntarily choose to reject any behaviour, any personal interest, any selfishness, in short, any aspect of the old nature. We choose to allow the termination those behaviour. This we will do and God will give us strength.