The Love of the Cross and the Grace of Calvary · Looking Back on the Journey
Study Topic: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus · Go to Calvary
What is the center of the gospel?
Even if we know much Scripture, learn various aspects of faith, and experience much grace, there is a clear center to which we must ultimately return:
The cross of Jesus Christ.
Jesus did not come to this earth merely as a moral teacher or religious sage. He came to bear the cross of substitutionary atonement for our sins. And the glorious conclusion of that cross is the resurrection.
The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ—this is the heartbeat of the gospel and the power of God that saves us from eternal death.
The Cross and Resurrection: The Center of the Gospel
We Must Know the Center That God Considers Most Important
Living out our faith, it is easy for our hearts to be distracted by many things. We want to experience grace, receive answers to prayers, have immediate problems resolved, and see life circumstances improve.
Yet the true center to which God unceasingly points us lies elsewhere:
"Look to the cross."
When the cross becomes the center, the essence of the gospel is brightly revealed. Because within the cross, the problem of sin is fundamentally resolved, the severed relationship with God is restored, the power of Satan and death is shattered, and God's saving power that grants eternal life to a dead soul is contained.
The Core of the Gospel Is the Cross and Resurrection
God is the almighty Sovereign who rules over the entire universe. Creating the heavens and the earth is God's power; parting the Red Sea is God's power; and countless miracles and mighty acts are recorded in Scripture.
Yet in the lessons, among all of God's powers, the most central power of salvation is seen in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Why is this? Because through the cross and resurrection, sinners receive salvation. Because people who wandered away from God return to the Father's embrace. Because the chains of sin and death are broken, and lost souls receive new life.
That is why all streams of the gospel ultimately gather at this one place:
The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Word of the Cross Is the Power of God
In 1 Corinthians 1:18, the apostle Paul proclaims that the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
In the eyes of the world, the cross may not be easily understood. People may question, "How can an ancient event where a young man was nailed to a cross and died save me today?"
Yet God determined to save sinners through that very cross. Therefore, the cross is not a mere religious symbol or decorative piece. To everyone who is being saved, the cross is the actual power of God.
Knowing About the Cross and Meeting the Cross Are Different
We may have heard the story of the cross countless times. We heard it familiarly since childhood, encounter it in every worship service, and have continually confessed it in songs of praise. So it is easy to casually brush it aside, thinking, "The cross? I already know all about it."
Yet the question that must truly be asked is this:
"Have you truly met the cross personally?"
Amassing objective knowledge about the cross and having that cross engraved on your heart as the event of salvation specifically for me are entirely different dimensions.
"Jesus Died for Me"
When the cross is actually opened brightly to the heart, it no longer remains someone else's story.
From a general doctrine that "Jesus died for the sinners of the whole world," it shifts to the confession: "Jesus died on the cross because of my very sins, in order to save me."
Realizing that the shedding of that precious blood is directly tied to my transgressions, that his death substituted for my eternal punishment, and that the love of the cross rushes into the heart as God's boundless love for me.
In that moment, we confess from the depths of our soul:
"It is my cross.
It is the love of the Lord that saved me, and my eternal salvation."
It is the moment when the cross finally becomes the most solid center of a person's faith and life.
Life Changed by Meeting the Cross
Meeting the Cross Changes the Center of Life
When the cross is engraved deeply in the heart, the walk of faith fundamentally changes. It does not stop at exerting religious effort; the very standard by which one views life is renewed.
Previously, if I was the center of life, now Jesus Christ becomes the center. Previously, if one remained in resentment and lamentation asking, "Why did this suffering come upon me?", the person who has met the cross goes beneath the cross once again in any hardship:
"Lord, I cannot fathom all the events of my life.
Yet this one thing I firmly believe: that you bore the cross to save me.
Therefore, I hold fast once again to the grace of the cross."
The Cross Is Like the Anchor of Faith
Even in a sea raging with storms, if a deeply dropped anchor is present, a ship does not easily drift away. Our faith also needs an immovable anchor. That central anchor is the cross.
Unexpected trials visit life. The pain of illness strikes, human relationships fracture, prayers seem unanswered, and God's providence feels completely incomprehensible.
In those moments, a person whose soul has the cross firmly anchored to the deep seabed may be shaken, but will never sink completely. They look again to the cross:
"I trust that perfect love that saved a sinner like me.
The cross proves that the Lord has never abandoned me."
Amidst the surging waves of life, the cross securely steadies our center once again.
When the Cross Is Faint, Faith Easily Stumbles
Conversely, when the cross is not vividly established at the center of life, faith easily wobbles at the slightest breeze. While seeming to receive grace, the moment real-life problems strike, one quickly becomes discouraged, and while claiming to believe in God, falls into deep skepticism: "If God is alive, how could such a thing happen?"
When unusual experiences or visible phenomena appear, one chases after them; when the world's plausible arguments sound, one's heart is drawn away again.
Why is this? Because the anchor of the cross that sustains the center of the soul is not dropped deep. Therefore, we must return to the cross.
Faith Returning to the Center of the Cross
We Must Cling to the Cross Rather Than Human Wisdom
In the world, there are truly many attractive philosophies that sound logical, sophisticated, and wise. At times, such worldly philosophies can feel even more persuasive than the words of the Bible.
Yet the gospel of salvation did not originate from human intellect or wisdom.
Scripture testifies in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 that Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
In the eyes of the world, the cross may appear humble. Yet God has hidden within that very cross the holy secret of salvation that rescues all humanity.
God Saves People Through the Gospel of the Cross
The gospel is not a story crafted to entertain people's ears or win popular approval. It is the uncompromised proclamation of the only way of life that God himself ordained. That way is the cross.
Even when the apostle Paul proclaimed the gospel, preaching the cross was never smooth. To some, the cross was a disgraceful execution instrument; to others, it was regarded as foolish, empty nonsense.
Yet Paul never substituted the gospel of the cross with anything else. Because he was certain that the true power to deliver souls from sin and death resides solely in the cross.
Do Not Replace the Cross with Anything Else
As the years of religious life accumulate, a danger arises that at some point the cross may be pushed from the center to the periphery. Though one began with tears moved by the cross, gradually other things are deemed more important:
Church office, religious knowledge, elaborate programs, special spiritual experiences, worldly success, or problem-solving take front row. Of course, there may be beneficial aspects among them.
Yet nothing can replace the cross. The power of salvation that transforms a sinner into the righteous, imparts new life, and reconciles us to God exists solely within the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Return Again to the Center of the Cross
Therefore, we urge you: Return to the center of the cross. And do not remain there; advance into the deeper places of the cross.
Do not remain in the thought, "I already know the message of the cross." Kneel humbly before God and plead:
"Lord, enable me to understand the cross more deeply.
Let me encounter the love of God revealed on the cross more deeply, and make the cross the immovable center of all my faith.
In any circumstance, let me always return beneath the cross."
Seek the Cross with a Poor Spirit
What is most needed to fully contain God's glorious truth in the heart is a poor spirit. A heart that prides itself on already knowing everything cannot be filled with deeper grace.
Therefore, we must confess honestly before the Lord:
"Lord, I still know only a tiny fraction of the love of the cross.
I want to know your cross more. I want to advance deeper before the precious blood of the cross."
When meditating on the cross, let the heart burn hot again, let tears before the Lord's sacrifice be restored, and seek for the cross to become the deepest bedrock of your soul, so that in any suffering you can confess, "The cross alone is enough."
The Cross Revealing Sin and Love
The Cross Exposes My Sin
To meet the cross genuinely, we must first face honestly why we are desperate beings in need of the grace of the cross.
The cross shatters the illusion that human beings are fairly decent on their own. It exposes starkly that we are total sinners who can never rescue ourselves by our own strength. If humanity could attain salvation through good deeds or ascetic discipline, there would have been no reason for the Son of God to tear his flesh and shed his blood on a cross.
The cross speaks plainly to us:
"You can never save yourself."
Yet the cross does not end in condemnation; it immediately proclaims wondrous grace:
"Therefore, I died in your place for your sins."
Justice that exposes our wretched sin and boundless love that forgives the sinner achieve complete harmony upon the cross.
The Cross Is the Love of God
Looking upon the cross, we do not see only the dreadfulness of sin. We encounter God's love that is far greater and broader than sin.
To save us, God's holy Son gave up his body without withholding. He endured all manner of mockery and scourging, poured out every last drop of blood, and willingly drank the cup of death.
Therefore, the cross testifies plainly to you today:
"God loves you this much."
Even on days when our hearts are numb and we do not feel the Lord's love, and even in moments when circumstances tempt us to doubt God's love, the cross is the eternal, indelible confirmation of God's love.
Yet the Cross Did Not End in Death
The gospel did not end in the tomb on Calvary's hill. Just as he said, Jesus conquered death and rose again on the third day.
The cross and the resurrection are one complete gospel that can never be separated. On the cross, he paid the full wages of all our sins once and for all; through the resurrection, he completely broke the power of death and hell.
Therefore, we do not commemorate a defeated martyr of the past. We believe in the risen Lord Jesus Christ who conquered death and lives and works today.
The resurrection proves that Jesus is the only Savior sent by God and confirms that new life and the eternal inheritance of the kingdom of God are promised to all who believe in the Lord.
In the Cross and Resurrection Lies the Power to Bring Sinners to Life
The core that the lesson repeatedly emphasizes is this: when the gospel of the cross and resurrection is purely proclaimed, the Holy Spirit himself works through that Word to bring souls to life.
Stubborn chains of sin are broken, souls groaning in darkness taste true liberation, and the prodigal who departed from God returns to the Father's house.
Of course, it is not the evangelist's wisdom or eloquence that causes someone to be born again. The One who brings human souls to life is the Holy Spirit God alone. Yet God has entrusted that holy Word of the gospel to our frail lips today.
The Mission of Those Who Proclaim the Cross
If What Saved You Is Truly the Cross, You Will Share It
In daily life, when we discover something genuinely good and valuable, we naturally share and spread it among those around us.
Yet if we possess the gospel of the cross that rescued us from eternal punishment in hell and transferred us into the light of eternal life, and yet remain silent without sharing it with anyone, we must quietly examine our spiritual state:
"Is the wonder of the cross truly alive within me today?"
If we have truly experienced the grace of sin cleansed by the blood of the cross, and if we realize we are debtors to that unfathomable love, a holy longing is bound to well up in our hearts:
"I want to share this gospel of life with the neighbors I love."
When Evangelizing, the Cross Must Be the Center
Merely offering good advice or words of comfort helpful for worldly living cannot save a soul.
While saying "God is good" or "You will find peace if you pray" are precious confessions, at the core of the gospel that rescues people from sin and death, the cross and resurrection must stand clearly.
When facing a soul, we must boldly and warmly proclaim:
"Because of our sin, our relationship of life with God was severed.
Yet Jesus bore all your sins and died on the cross.
And he rose again.
Only when you believe in Jesus Christ are true salvation and eternal life given to you."
We must become faithful witnesses who do not blur the essence of the gospel, but keep the cross and resurrection at the center.
When We Proclaim the Cross, the Holy Spirit Works
One who shares the gospel does not rely on their own speaking ability. Nor do they employ artificial techniques to force persuasion upon human hearts.
We simply proclaim the truth of the cross and resurrection plainly and clearly, just as Scripture gives it. And we pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit will speak directly to the heart of that soul.
When a person of poor spirit hears the gospel of the cross, the story they passed by numbly for years finally begins to sound as truth that shakes their soul:
"Jesus shed his blood and died on the cross for me."
When the eyes of that soul are opened, the cross is no longer an abstract doctrine, but operates as the power of God that saves them eternally.
This Is the Evangelist's Greatest Glory
Consider this: a soul is living under the shadow of sin and futility without knowing God the Creator. Yet I approach that person and plant the seed of the gospel.
Not because I am great, but simply because I sincerely shared the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ within me. And the living God works through that Word as his instrument.
That person repents of sin, turns to God, looks to the cross, receives Jesus as Savior, and is transferred from death into eternal life.
That God used me as a conduit in this great history of salvation where a soul is brought to life—what could be more thrilling and glorious than this?
God Has Entrusted the Gospel to Us
To the disciples going forth into all the world, the risen Jesus proclaimed through the words of Matthew 28:18-20 that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him, promising to be with them always, to the end of the age.
The Lord entrusted this glorious gospel of salvation to the apostles, and through countless forebears of faith, that gospel of life has reached us today. Now we must take up the baton of that gospel and become conduits of life to another soul.
Life Under the Cross
Overcome All Trials by the Cross
The cross is not a tool needed only when sharing the gospel with others. It is the most potent shield guarding the soul of our own daily lives.
When trials and temptations come, return to the cross. When the heart is anxious and cannot find direction, return to the cross. When frail and fallen into sin, do not remain in despair, but run beneath the cross of the blood.
When God's love feels distant and worldly anxieties shake the heart, meditate on the cross once again:
"The Lord gave his life for me on the cross."
In all the world, there is no evidence of God's love more unmistakable and profound than this.
Beneath the Cross, I Must Die and Jesus Must Live
The gospel is not cheap grace where one merely gains assurance of forgiveness and lives with the same old self as before. It is a life of being fully united with the cross:
Humbly stepping down from the arrogant throne where I was king, and yielding the sovereignty of life to the Lord so that Jesus reigns completely within me.
In Galatians 2:20, the apostle Paul magnificently confesses that he has been crucified with Christ; it is no longer he who lives, but Christ who lives in him, and the life he now lives in the flesh he lives by faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for him. Living in faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me—this is the life centered on the cross:
"I am no longer the master of my life.
Jesus Christ alone is the true Lord of my soul."
The Cross Is the Gospel to Be Known More Deeply Throughout Life
The cross is not a foundational step to be learned once in the beginner stage of faith and passed by. Nor is it a past souvenir to be tucked away with a single experience of grace. It is the eternal gospel that we must know more deeply day by day throughout our entire lives.
Therefore, pray without ceasing:
"Lord, open the depth of the cross in my heart more each day.
Enable me to know more of your boundless love that I do not yet fully understand,
let the resurrection power of the cross manifest vividly in every area of my life,
and let all my faith and life be firmly established upon the cross alone."
The more the cross is meditated upon, the deeper and higher it becomes. The more it is contemplated, the more brightly God's perfect love and grace are revealed. And when deeply captivated by the love of that cross, our lives are also transformed fully into the image of Christ.
Delivered to a Beloved Soul
Do you know the cross of Jesus Christ merely with your head? Or have you met it personally?
Knowing it as Christian doctrine or historical fact is completely different from that cross becoming the eternal event of salvation that rescued me.
Jesus hanging on the cross was not for a vague humanity alone; it was for your sins. And the precious blood he shed was the price of life to restore you as a holy child of God.
We cannot reach salvation by our own strength. Yet God did not turn away from you. He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, caused him to bear all your sins, and by raising him from the tomb, opened wide the way of eternal life.
Come Beneath the Cross
Do not rely on your good deeds or merit. You do not need to defend yourself saying, "I have lived more morally than others."
Before the cross, all of us without distinction are sinners in desperate need of God's mercy. Yet before that very cross, we discover the most wondrous hope:
The fact that God has never given up on you.
Therefore, do not hesitate; come humbly beneath the cross. Turn from sin, open the door of your heart, and believe in Jesus. Receive the risen Jesus Christ fully as the eternal Savior and Master of your life.
Let Us Return Again to the Center of the Gospel
If our faith has grown complicated with various worldly thoughts and busyness, we must return to the simple, clear center:
Jesus Christ.
The cross.
The resurrection.
This is the most radiant heartbeat of the gospel. What saved me is this gospel, and the hope to save beloved family and neighbors lies in this gospel alone.
Therefore, let us kneel together and pray:
"Lord, let me meet the grace of the cross more deeply.
Let the cross be the immovable anchor of my soul in life,
and in any trial or suffering, let me always bow beneath the cross.
Let the gospel of the cross and resurrection move vividly alive within me,
and let this gospel flow through my lips to a thirsty soul."
The Cross Is the Power of God
Even if the world ridicules the gospel of the cross as foolish, it is fine. Even if people around do not fully understand, there is no need to waver.
The only way of salvation established by God remains unchanged yesterday, today, and forever:
Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again.
He alone is the true wisdom of God and the only power of salvation that rescues souls.
Therefore, do not be ashamed of the cross. Do not push the cross into a corner of life. Welcome the cross into the highest center of your heart and faith:
Meet it more deeply,
love it more fully,
and testify to it more boldly.
That the gospel of the cross and resurrection that saved us stirs within your soul today, and that through that gospel another soul receives eternal life—that is the holy reason God entrusted the gospel to us, and the greatest, most glorious joy enjoyed by one captivated by the gospel.