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The cross resolves two great dilemmas--one from God's perspective and
one from man's. All parents can understand the dilemma of not wanting
to correct a disobedient child with painful discipline, while at the
same time realizing that you can't just blink or yawn at his bad
behavior.
What do you do? You love that little one. But
he has also clearly disobeyed you, and right now he is lying to you
in an attempt to cover it up. Sure, you love him. But you also know
that you can't just brush off the problem. He has to be punished--
and you've got to do it.
The situation caused by our sin was infinitely
more complex than that. But there are some parallels. Because God is
a holy God, He cannot just ignore our sin. Yet because He is a loving
God, He is not merely willing to let us get what we deserve.
Another illustration might help us to see the
dilemma from man's perspective. Imagine a group of people trapped on
the roof of a high-rise building engulfed in flames. The only way to
safety is to jump to the roof of an adjoining building--30 feet away!
In desperation, people begin to attempt the impossible leap. Some
jump farther out than others, but all fall to their death.
So it is with man's helpless condition before
God. Our sin caused a separation between us and a holy God that
cannot be bridged by anything we do. We are utterly helpless to save
ourselves. But the love of God provided a way: the cross of Christ.
The necessity for Calvary's tree can be traced
back to a much earlier tree. All our problems began when our first
parents willfully and disobediently ate of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. God had said that Adam and his wife would die if
they ate the fruit of that tree. And they did. From that time on, no
man was the man he was created to be. From that time on, the children
of Adam were born physically alive but spiritually dead. Not only was
the garden paradise lost, but so was the innocence man was created
with.
Every child born from Eden until today has
proven that innocence was lost. Once created to walk with God, man
has inherited a nature that causes him to forget God, to hate his
fellowmen, and to live a life of self-destruction. Because of this,
David the king of Israel went on record as saying, "Behold, I
was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived
me" (Ps. 51:5).
And the apostle Paul wrote, ". . .
through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin"
(Rom. 5:12) and "the wages of sin is death" (6:23). In
another letter he wrote, ". . . in Adam all die" (1 Cor.
15:22).
This is our condition. When Adam followed the
way of the serpent, he didn't just hurt himself. When he ate of that
tree in defiance of his Maker, spiritual and physical death fell upon
all men. And so it has come now to us. The proof is, all of us sinned
against God the first chance we got.
Furthermore, we can't do anything to help
ourselves. No amount of self-improvement or good deeds can win back
what Adam lost. The prophet Isaiah saw this clearly, for he said that
our best efforts are nothing better than dirty rags (Is. 64:6). Much
later, the apostle Paul expressed the same awareness (Eph. 2:8,9).
His words remind us that no man can pull himself up to God by yanking
on his own bootstraps.
This is bad news. But the Bible, the most
reliable book in the world, claims to be true (and it is). We are
born into this world spiritually dead. We are born separated from
God. We are born into a world of physical and spiritual death, and
unless something happens, we will live out our lives in rebellion
against God. Unless something happens, we are destined for the
judgment of God--the second death, the lake of fire created for the
devil and all of his demons.
And if that were not enough, the Bible tells
us that there's not a thing in the world we can do on our own to
merit a rescue. Without a doubt, we need help. We need rescue. We
need to be delivered from our guilt and bondage--before it is
everlastingly too late.
When Adam and Eve sinned, God could have
struck them dead instantly. And He would have been just in doing so,
because His holy nature demands that disobedience be punished by
death.
Yet, because God is love, He did not strike
our first parents dead. Instead, He sought them out, provided them
with a covering of animal skins, and gave to them a wonderful promise
(Gen. 3:15). At that point God announced the good news. Yes, the good
news is that God Himself resolved the dilemma--His holiness is
counter-balanced by His love! Love found a way. Love found another
tree, the cross (Rom. 5:6). God in His wisdom provided a way to undo
the terrible damage done to man at that first tree.
The tree in the Garden of Eden has now given
way to the cross. And on that tree of humiliation, goodness triumphed
over evil. Mercy triumphed over justice. The rescue was completed.
The mission was accomplished. The dilemma was resolved.
Look again at the cross. Look at the One dying
there. He never sinned, yet He is on the cross to bear the penalty
for the sins of the whole world. He's dying there on your behalf.
That should be you and me on that cross.
It's an ugly scene, isn't it? It shows us how
terrible sin really is, and what a horrible price had to be paid to
set us free from it. If you are a Christian, coming one more time to
the cross should fill your heart with gratitude for what Christ did
for you there. As your sacrifice and substitute, He made it possible
for you to be forgiven and to be saved from your sin. Why don't you
give Him your thanks right now? Then determine to walk in obedience
to God.
Curtis
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