The wooden cross is said to be a symbol of Christianity. It is because the cross represents the love of God, that is, the providence of salvation through Jesus Christ. By understanding the spiritual meaning of the cross we can live according to the will of God and become His true children. Let's look into the meaning.
First, the cross represents "blessing."
In ancient times, crucifixion was a terrible punishment for a criminal who committed an unforgivable crime. Our Jesus was crucified on the cross like this on behalf of sinners who were under the curse of spiritual law (Galatians 3:13).
The 'curse of the Law' means the curse of the spiritual law as recorded in Romans 6:23 that states the "wages of sin is death". Since Adam committed the sin of disobedience, his descendants inherited the sin and all human beings are sinners because sinners are born with this original sin. That is, all humans commit sin which leads the way to spiritual death as a result of the wages of sin being death.
If someone tries to free these 'sinner' human beings from this curse of the law, he himself has to pay the price of the curse. For this, God let Jesus hang on the wooden cross which symbolizes the curse.
Regarding this, Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:14-15, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life."
By taking the cross, Jesus defeated the authority of the enemy Satan. Since the enemy Satan killed sinless Jesus, he violated the spiritual law, and thus Jesus resurrected from death. Therefore, looking up to Jesus on the cross is equivalent to looking by faith to see the death of the authority of the enemy Satan.
Although Jesus hung on the cross, which was the symbol of the curse, when it is seen by faith, we can receive the gift of eternal life. To those of us who believe in the Lord, therefore, the cross is not the symbol of the 'curse' any longer, but of 'blessing.'
Secondly, the cross carries the meaning of "sacrifice."
Regarding this, Hebrews 9:12 says, "…and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:22 says that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. In order to redeem us from sin, Jesus bled. To free us who used to be slaves of sin and to make us God's children, He paid the tremendous price of sacrifice.
The whip that was used in this step of sacrifice was different from normal whips. Metal balls, sharp bones and steel fragments were entwined and stuck out from its surface. Once beaten, along with severe bruises, the flesh was torn and even ripped off. Once the skeletal-muscle was ripped off, the flesh dangled. Because of excessive bleeding, the blood pressure dropped, and the criminal approached a state of hypovolemic shock. Since the body lost too much blood, it required liquid, and thus the criminal felt terrible thirst.
The criminal had to carry the wooden crossbeam to the execution place. A typical crossbeam was 2 meters long, and it weighed 40 kilograms or just over 100 pounds. The one being crucified was faint. His body was torn apart after scourging. Yet he carried that heavy cross. He was attached to the cross by being nailed through his hands and feet. The nails were big; they were approximately 13 to 18 centimeters long (7 to 9 inches). He was nailed above the wrist. Both feet overlapped each other, and they were nailed through the 2nd and the 3rd metatarsal bones. The nerves were completely destroyed.
When hung on the cross with hands and feet nailed, the arms were stretched out, and their bones became separated. Both shoulders became dislocated. Due to the body weight, both arms and shoulders were pulled down, and it became hard to breathe. There would not be enough oxygen. Then, the blood became oversupplied with carbon dioxide, and the heart pounded irregularly. Modern research said the victims of crucifixion repeated passing out on the cross about 1,000 times. And then the criminal eventually died.
Crucifixion was the punishment that provided the worst possible pain to the victim. It was our Jesus that suffered from this very crucifixion. We should engrave in our hearts how great His sacrifice was for us.
Thirdly, the cross means, "love."
1 John 4:10 says, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." It is because He loves you and me. We should remember the fact that God loves us to the point of giving up His only begotten Son Jesus to the cross as an atoning sacrifice.
God already knew how terrible the pain Jesus was to suffer from would be. There was only one reason that He let Jesus hang on the cross. It is because He loves you and me. It was the only way to save sinners. It was the way the enemy Satan would never think of. With such sacrificial love that transcends the justice, Jesus opened the way of salvation for human beings.
Whenever we look at the cross, we should remember this love. We should remember the fact that God loves us to the point of giving up His only begotten Son Jesus to the cross. The ones who feel and understand this love with their hearts will live their lives unlike those who do not understand.
Apostle Paul confessed in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Those who understood the love of the cross should live their lives by faith following the will of the Lord for His glory.
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