The Cross –God’s Masterwork

Introduction

Many of us when we accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, when we heard and came across this term ‘The Cross’ especially in Passover services, we would always only associate it with a piece(s) of wood that Jesus carried when heading for his crucifixion. By in large, that was what we were exposed to. When we start to look and examine scripture and grow in the knowledge (epignosis) of Him, we realize that the term ‘Cross’ was more than a piece of wood but a collective term that was used to encompass a gamut of aspects that this article intends to explore through the help and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. This article intends to show the reader that ‘The Cross’ was far more than a piece of wood but was actually God’s master work in action, it was a climax of God’s work in eternity past, present and future, nothing in eternity will ever match that work. The Cross was the game changer of and for eternity concerning mankind.

GOD'S INTENTION & PLAN

Before there was any form of creation – humans (Adam and Eve), angels (Gabriel, Lucifer, Michael, Seraphim, Cherubim and etc), animals, material, matter and etc – God in His foreknowledge knew that man would sin and introduce death into this world.

Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (KJV)

Rev13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain fromthefoundationoftheworld” (KJV)

Romans5:12 “Sin came into the world because of what one man did. And with sin came death. So this is why all people must die —becauseallpeoplehavesinned” (ERV)

Before God bought creation into existence, in His will (that was His intention, purpose and promise) and mind, He had already establishedHisplantosaveman.Godwasneverreactive.

John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the WordwasGod” (KJV)

The word used by John “the Word” in the New Testament language (Greek) was the word “log’-os”[1] which means in that context “the thought, the intention, the message, the mind”. The word “in”[2] in the Greek was the word “en” which could also mean “before”. If we could re-translate that verse with those definitions, we could re-translate it as “Before the beginning was God’s intention”, or “before the beginning was God’s mind” or “before the beginning was God’s thought” so you could see that in the or before the beginning existed God’s intention or was God’s mind.

Apostle Paul narrates it in a clearer way in a letter that he wrote to the saints in Ephesus:

“Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden throughthe

[1]StrongsGreekLexiconandMounceBibleDictionary

[2]StrongsGreekLexiconandMounceBibleDictionary ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus. 10 [The purpose is] that through the church the [a]complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. 11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,”(Ephesians3:9-11,AMPC)

So before God created the heavens and the earth, He had a plan that He had hidden in Himself (Eph 3:9; Romans 16:25) and according to Paul in these verses, that plan was the salvation of all men. Hence when PaulexhortsTimothy,hesays:

1 Tim 2:4 “who will have all men to be saved, and to come untotheknowledgeofthetruth.”(KJV)

You could see that salvation and eternal life was God’s plan andpromiseforman,

1 Tim 2:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before theworldbegan” (KJV).

Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promisedbeforetheworldbegan” (KJV)

God’s intention, purpose, plan, promise and grace was the total package of His will for man, He purposed it in Christ Jesus(Eph3:11).Godhadalreadyseenthatmanwasgoingto introducethesinofunbeliefintothisworldbeforeHecreated anything. So before anything was created He purposed and established the fulfillment of His will in Christ Jesus. God’s grace was too strong for sin, when sin came into the world grace had already put its plan into motion. Paul argues, “where the sin did abound, the grace did overabound” sin and death were too late because God has already purposed that He will go to the extreme of death for man and bring manbacktoHisoriginalintention–whichwastobeinChrist.

Philippians2:8 “AndafterHehadappearedinhumanform,

He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross” (AMPC)

Acts 2:24 “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” (NKJV)

Col 1:20 “And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restoredtoinnocenceagain!”(TPT)

The Cross was the climax of God’s intention, purpose, promise and plan from the beginning. What we will explore, was a master workfromtheAlmighty,lovingFather.

God’s work on the Cross – His Death

Paul provides an explanation of how it (The Cross) was revealed to him, he explains “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if youholdfastthatwordwhichIpreachedtoyou—unlessyoubelievedinvain.

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again thethirddayaccordingtotheScriptures”(KJV).

Paul provides us with three components of what the Cross was, in fact I call it, three aspects of God’s work on and through the Cross. Those components were, Christ’s: a) death (died for our sins); b) burial (He was buried) and c) resurrection (Heroseagain).

We know that when God spoke to Adam that if he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he would die (Gen 2:17). The Hebrew word ‘die’ in that context was used twice in the original language. In the original Hebrew sentence structure, God said to Adam ‘he would die die’. So death, when it came through sin, was both spiritual and physical. So the real essence of death, was spiritual eventually leading to the separation of the body and the spirit which we call physicaldeath(James2:26).

On the Cross, God made Christ to be sin, in fact the original language says He was madeSIN,

2Corinth5:21 “Forhehathmadehimtobe sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (KJV).

The words “to be” were added by the translators, so on the cross God made Christ SIN, Christ embodied every element that made up the component of what sin was. God allowed the body of sin to be Christ (Romans 6:6), every element that came with sin that was: sins, diseases, sicknesses and curse was not only laid on Christ, it was what He was in death. When He was spiritually dead just before He gave up His spirit for physical death, God was condemningsinintheflesh.

Paul says to the Roman believers, “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,andforsin,condemnedsinintheflesh”(Romans8:3,KJV).

Every element of His humanness was being affected, it was at that point where He was smitten of God and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4,10). Oh boy, what a loving Father, judgement beingpassedontoChristforoursake.

This was where substitution was taking place, hear Paul’s words, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans6:3-4,KJV). The way Jesus was on the cross, people could not recognize Him anymore, they literally hid their faces because He was not recognizable anymore (Isaiah 53:3),Hewaslikeaworm(Psalm22:6)someevenlaughedathim (Psalm22:7).

In His spiritual death, when He was made sin, He took all our sorrows, griefs, rejections andeverythingthataffectsthehumansoul (Isaiah53:3-4).

Hebrews12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the righthandofthethroneofGod”(KJV).

So when Christ died both spiritually and physically, when He was in Hades, in and at the extreme and pains of death, God was inworkinChrist,thepowerofdeathwasactuallybeingdestroyedbyChristthroughHisdeath.

The Hebrew writer articulates, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And deliver them whothroughfearofdeathwerealltheirlifetimesubjecttobondage.” (Hebrews2:14-15,KJV)

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to deathintheflesh,butquickenedbytheSpirit”(KJV)

Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory andhonour;thathebythegraceofGodshouldtastedeathforeveryman”(KJV)

We can see in Christ’s death, God allowed Christ to be sin; condemned sin in Christ’s body, substitution took place, He sufferedforusinHadessothatwemaybetherighteousnessofGodinandthroughChristJesus.

God’s work on the Cross – His Resurrection

The bible does provide us with some pictorial words of Christ’s sufferings in Hades, when you go through this, your spirit should bubble with joy of how much He went through tomakesurethatwecanenjoyeternitywithHim.

Paul wrote something interesting about God’s work in the resurrection of Christ, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own righthandintheheavenlyplaces” (Ephesians1:19-20,KJV)

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raisedhimfromthedead,thoushaltbesaved”(KJV)

1Peter1:21 “WhobyhimdobelieveinGod,thatraised himupfromthedead,andgavehimglory;thatyourfaith andhopemightbeinGod”(KJV)

Acts2:24 “WhomGodhathraisedup,havingloosedthe painsofdeath:becauseitwasnotpossiblethathe shouldbeholdenofit”(KJV)

InanotherplacePaulsays,“ThatImayknowhim,andthe powerofhisresurrection”(Philippians3:10).Sowecouldsee thatduringandintheresurrectiontherewaspowerinvolved. Paulcallsthisanexceedinggreatnessofpowerandthiswas whathesaidaboutit,“theworkingofhismightypower. WhichhewroughtinChrist,whenheraisedhimfromthe dead”.ForGodtoraiseChristfromthedead,Hehadtowork exceedingpower,Iarguethateverypowerthatcouldever existineternity,everyounceofHisimmortalabilitywasat work.

The Greek word for “working” was the word “energeia” which meant “activity, operation, vigour. workmanship. supernatural action, cosmic force.”. It was a word that would be often associated with intensity within and of an operation and actual workmanship. The bible says the believer or the born again man was God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:10). So during and in the resurrection God was actually creating the new man in Christ,God’spowerwasatfulldisplayinChrist,workingandcreatingtheNEWMAN.GLORY!!!

Hence why for the believer, their faith should not be based on Hebrews 11:1, the faith of the believer should be basedonChrist’sdeathandresurrection.HearhowPaulnarratesthispoint,

“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” and he further says, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins”. So what makes faith for a believer was Christ’s death and resurrection.Infact,faithforabelieverwastobefoundinChrist(2Tim3:15;Hebrews12:2).

So His resurrection was the birth of the NEW MAN, God was at work in Christ birthing us. Hence why in the believer there is power the very same power that raised Christ from the dead (Eph 3:20; Col 1:29). Principalities were spoilt (defeated) in the resurrection, death lost grip to those who were to believe in Christ,thiswasmadeavailableforthewholeworld.

There is so much we can articulate around the cross but pages will limit us from expressing fully on this topic. The Cross was a masterpiece of work from God, that He had thought of and planned before the foundations of the world. Sin and death could not outsmart God the Father, the Cross wasgamechangerforhumanity.