Two very striking lines of a hymn come to mind. Referring to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ we read, " Center of two eternities,
Which look with rapt adoring eyes,
Onward and back to Thee."
The following Scripture proves that the cross of Christ was no afterthought with God, but was in His mind from all eternity. We read, " Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD." (1 Peter 1: 18-20).
" Before the foundation of the world " means before time, stretching back to a measureless eternity. Here we have the backward look. What of the forward look? We read, " Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Eph. 3:2121Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21)).
The Ephesian epistle tells of grace that saves through faith, of Christ dwelling in the hearts of believers, of the love of Christ that passeth knowledge, then it bursts forth with this adoring doxology. Shall such praise ever die down? Never! It will continue throughout the ages of eternity, blessed be God's holy name.
No wonder Sir John Bowring gave expression to his feelings when he pondered over this entrancing theme.
" In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow'ring o'er the wrecks of time,
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime."
We shall miss the real meaning of the cross unless we distinguish between its two aspects—man's and God's. On man's side it constituted the blackest crime this world has ever known. Jew and Gentile were alike guilty of the death of our Lord. The Jews, led by high priests and elders of the people, clamored for His death. The Gentile Pilate gave sentence of death by cruel crucifixion, spite of his asseveration that he could find no fault in our Lord. A Roman soldier pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:3434But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)).
But man's cruelty was not the inner or chief meaning of the cross. We may well ask, What was the meaning of the bitter, bitter cry that rent the heavens when our Lord cried,
Our Lord had only and altogether glorified God in His life of utter devotedness to His holy will. His being on the cross was the mark of His devotedness even to such a death. What then was the meaning of that bitter cry?
Here is the answer, and this from the Old Testament, penned long centuries before our Lord died on the cross.
Our Lord died a sacrificial death, an atoning death, a vicarious death. He did not die for Himself. He took the sinner's place on the cross, bearing the punishment due to sin, upholding God's righteous claims and the holiness of His Person, making the way clear for God to righteously express His love in the offer of forgiveness of sins to guilty sinners. If not a single sinner were saved by His death, yet that death infinitely glorified God.
As our Lord cried with a loud voice, " IT IS FINISHED " (John 19; 30),
He declared the triumph of His death. No one died as He did. His was the only true sacrificial death, the sinner's only hope. Our Lord died representatively, and was in consequence raised representatively, as we shall now see.