Why the Cross?Shembull

The Foreshadowed Cross

The symbol of the Cross did not first appear at the death of Jesus. As early as the book of Genesis, we begin to see the foreshadowing of the Cross. From the moment Adam and Eve decided to go their own way from God's commandments, God began lifting up the Cross.

We see it when the blood of an innocent animal was shed to atone for Adam and Eve's disobedience. We see the symbol of the Cross when God's people participated in Passover. But these animal sacrifices of the Old Testament could never take away sin permanently. Only the pure blood of the Lamb of God can truly purge sin. The animal sacrifices reminded God's people that sin is a costly offense to a Holy God. And these sacrifices pointed forward to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.

Many people are drawn to the magnanimous love of God, but they hesitate to acknowledge the righteousness and holiness of God. Righteousness demands that sin be punished. For God's justice to prevail, sin and rebellion against God must be dealt with. Since the only covering for sin is the shedding of innocent blood, God shed His own blood, the most innocent blood of all. Because God shed His own blood, we can find forgiveness of sins, relief from guilt, peace with God, and eternal life in heaven.

The entire plan of God, from Genesis to Revelation, is built on the Cross. When that first innocent animal's blood was shed for Adam and Eve, they understood the enormity of their disobedience. They understood that God's justice must be met.

Prayer: God, thank You for sacrificing Your Son on the Cross for my sin. Thank You that we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices, but that You gave us a permanent solution to sin through the death of Jesus Christ. Amen.

To Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24).