| “And having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). |
| “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). |
| The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned a number of times in the Bible, for we know that it was the Roman way of dealing with criminals. It was a cruel death, and was intended to show people that “crime does not pay,” and that rebellion against the Roman Empire would be severely punished. Our Lord Jesus Christ never committed any crime, nor was He any threat to the Roman Empire, and Pilate knew this. He wanted to set Jesus free, but the Jews insisted on His being crucified, and eventually Pilate gave in. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered on a cross, and while He was there, He suffered God’s judgment for sin. |
| That is why one of the references to the cross connects it with the blood of Christ. It was while He was on the cross that His blood was shed — the blood that washes our sins away. The cross was not only a cruel death, but it was a shameful death — one that was reserved for the worst criminals. But in allowing His Son to suffer in this way, God made a way for you and me to be saved. |
| That is why Paul says that he gloried in the cross of the Lord Jesus. Why would he glory in it? He felt this way, because the cross of Christ separated him from the wicked world that crucified the Lord Jesus. The cross was what this world thought of the Lord Jesus. Not only did they want to get rid of Him, but they got rid of Him in the most shameful and cruel way. Now you and I are called to follow Christ, and if He was rejected, we will be rejected too. Yet Paul was happy if that happened, because it made Him more like Christ. It was all right if he suffered from the world, for it was being more like the One whom he loved so much. |
| Even as Christians we can walk with the world, and have respect and honor here. But if we speak of Christ and want to honor Him, the world will not want us. We can give up the world, and that is good, but it hurts when the world gives us up, and does not want us. It is worth it, however, for “if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12). |
