• Home
    • Resources
    • The Gospel
    • Statement of Faith
    • Church Finder
    • Homemaking Courses
    • Privacy Policy
  • About
    • About Me
    • Sponsorships
    • My Church Home
    • The Bar Podcast Network
    • My Favorite Blogging & Podcast Tools
  • Start Here
  • Free Library
    • Sign Up for Access
    • Enter Library (password required)
    • Meal Planning PDF
  • Resources
    • All Resources
    • Homemaking Courses
    • TH Gear – Mugs, T-Shirts, Tote Bags & Sweatshirts
    • Amazon Shop (Books, Home Items & More!)
    • Journals & Notebooks
    • Etsy Shop
    • Free Library
  • Top 10 Book List
  • Support
    • Patreon Support
    • One Time Donation
    • Sponsorships
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Thankful Homemaker

Gospel-Driven Encouragement for Homemakers

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Homemaking
    • Menu Planning Made Easy Course
  • Marriage
    • Marriage Series
  • Motherhood
  • Christian Living
    • Spiritual Disciplines Series
    • Sermon on the Mount
  • Homemaking Courses
  •  

The True Meaning of the Cross

by Marci Ferrell
Christian Living Evangelism

8 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

I’d love to help you simplify your meal planning. Check out my new menu planning course here.

If you're encouraged by the podcast & blog consider becoming a friend of Thankful Homemaker at Patreon

*A note from Marci: I’m sharing an email by permission we received by a dear brother in the faith.  It is a response he wrote to an email he received regarding the facts of the crucifixion that are historically accurate but void of the true meaning of the Cross.  Take in the full message of the Cross as believers, those who have repented and put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, celebrate the fact the Christ has risen from the dead – The Gospel is good news – it is the best news!

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ~ 1 Corinthians 15:3-4



The four Gospels focus very little time on the gruesome realities of the execution of Jesus Christ.  Isaiah 53 that was written around 700 years earlier covers more detail than all of the four Gospels combined.  The reason that the Holy Spirit revealed to us so little of the details of the historical reality of the crucifixion is that the glory of the cross does not so much lie in Jesus Christ’s physical suffering on the cross.   

At the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry the Roman Empire crucified thousands of people every year.  His suffering and death on the cross was crucial to our salvation because through His death He paid the penalty that our sins deserved which is death.  [“The wages of sin is death…”(Romans 6:23); “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”(Heb. 9:22; Lev. 17:11)]  The reference to blood is used throughout the New Testament to refer to the death of Christ.  But the reason Jesus’ “soul was very sorrowful, even to death”(Mark 14:34) and that He was sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane and crying out to His Father in prayer the night before and that the sun was darkened for three hours while He hung on the cross was that he was bearing the full and infinite wrath of God for our sins.  This is most clearly seen in Romans 3:23-26 where it says that God put forward Christ “as propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith”.  A “propitiation” is an atoning sacrifice that satisfies God’s wrath. 

There is only one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5)  And only Christ Jesus, the Son of God could have been our substitute and reconciled us to God because He was and is both God and man.  He needed to be man so that God could “condemn sin in the flesh”(Rom. 8:3).  And He needed to be God to be able to bear the infinite wrath of God which our sins deserved.  And He needed to be God to be able to defeat Satan and conquer death.  

In our rebellion we have offended an infinitely holy and worthy God so the punishment that we deserve is infinite and an eternity in hell would still not satisfy God’s justice for our sins.  And part of God’s wrath on the cross included Christ being forsaken and alienated by God the Father as He turned His back on His Son because He is so holy that He can’t even look on sin (Habakkuk 1:13) and Jesus was bearing all the sins of all the people in the history of the world who would come to believe into Him.  

Jesus acknowledged that He was being forsaken and separated from His Father, who He had perfect fellowship with for eternity, when He quoted from Psalm 22:1 which says: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?…”  Psalm 22 as well as Isaiah 53 and many other prophecies in the Scriptures were promises from God that pointed forward to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and Jesus fulfilled all of God’s Word that referred to His first coming, and when He returns to consummate the kingdom of God on earth He will fulfill the rest of the prophecies and promises of God exactly and completely.

God is holy and righteous so He could not just forgive sin without His justice being satisfied; otherwise He would be violating His very nature and would cease to be God.  But in God’s infinite wisdom and according to the riches of His mercy and grace He delivered up His Son to be our substitutionary sacrifice so that He might be just and the justifier of those who by God’s grace are united to Christ and are “in Christ” through the miracle of saving faith in His name.(Rom. 3:26)  This is what many refer to as the “Great Exchange”.  The sins of all of those who would come to trust in Christ were counted to Him on the cross, and His perfect righteousness was counted to them through the miracle of saving faith.  

Abraham is the example and father of all those who are saved by faith in Christ alone.  Abraham didn’t just believe that there was a God, he believed God and trusted in all His promises that pointed forward to the Messiah, and God counted that faith to him as righteousness.  But even Abraham’s faith was a gift of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-10).  Unless by God’s grace you are born again and given a new heart from God above (John 3:3; Titus 3:4-7) you will consider this message foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18).  But God’s Word is powerful and all sufficient to save through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.  Salvation belongs to God from first to last so that He alone might receive all the glory by putting His mercy and grace on display through saving unworthy and lost sinners.   

The true meaning of the cross is the heart and glory of the gospel.  And God in His infinite wisdom summed up the entire gospel in one glorious verse:  “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”(2 Cor. 5:21)  

So I finish with a doxology borrowed from the apostle Paul who launched into a crescendo of praise as he completed his treatise on the doctrines of grace in Romans 1 through 11 through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

~ Tom Vann

“It is at the cross where God’s Law and God’s grace are both most brilliantly displayed, where His justice and His mercy are both glorified. But it is also at the cross where we are most humbled. It is at the cross where we admit to God and to ourselves that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or merit our salvation.”~ Jerry Bridges



Related Links:
The Gospel
Tom’s Favorite Gospel Tract
Granted Ministries



post signature

If you would like to have Thankful Homemaker delivered to your inbox, simply click here: Subscribe to Thankful Homemaker

Get updates that are not posted on the blog by visiting Thankful Homemaker’s 
Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter pages.

Great selection of bulk herbs, books, and remedies. Articles, Research Aids and much more.

Related posts:

  1. Book Review: The Gospel Call & True Conversion
  2. 9 Questions to Examine Your Heart
  3. How to Be Perfectly Miserable
  4. Thoughts on the Cross Centered Life


Free Resource Library

Get more posts like this in your inbox!

And while you’re at it, you’ll receive access to our FREE library of resources to help you in your homemaking!.

(I will not spam you. Read my privacy policy.)

« Contentment is a Choice
Can You Explain the Gospel if You Only Had a Minute? »
WEEKLY HOME CLEANING SCHEDULE SIDEBAR AD

Welcome to Thankful Homemaker

So thankful you’ve stopped by for a visit. Please grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit a bit. I hope to remind you that contentment in our role as homemakers begins with finding our satisfaction in Christ.

read more…

Ultimate Homemaking Binder Side Bar Ad

Categories

  • Bible Study
  • Christian Living
  • Holidays
  • Homemaking
  • Marriage
  • Menu Planning
  • Motherhood
  • Podcast
  • Time Management

thankfulhomemaker

Marci Ferrell
Patience is our ability, under the control of the Patience is our ability, under the control of the Spirit, to persevere and endure in times of suffering or hardship.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Come listen in (or read) EP 118: Cultivating Patience with One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣ shows us our em By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣⁣
~ J.C. Ryle⁣
⁣
Read more of Trusting God in Your Trials at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Come listen in to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self Pity at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)⁣
⁣
#rootedinChrist #rootedintheword #christian #christianity #thankfulhomemaker #bedeeplyrooted  #christianblogger  #christians #treasurechrist #joyinchrist #inchristalone #deeplyrooted #martynlloydjones #selfpity
Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣ ⁣ Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣
⁣
Weekly Menu Planning Free PDF is at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest "God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest earthly gift to his people, second only to the living Word, Jesus. And because the living Word perfectly lived out the written Word, we are blessed beyond measure. Jesus fulfilled every precept found in Psalm 119, keeping the principles and commandments of this psalm, and he did so on our behalf.⁣
⁣
Our failure to live wholeheartedly is covered by Jesus, who lived it perfectly for us. Ultimately, he is Psalm 119 in human form, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)."⁣
⁣
~ Taken from Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback⁣
⁣
With my whole heart I seek you;⁣
let me not wander from your commandments!⁣
I have stored up your word in my heart,⁣
that I might not sin against you.⁣
~ Psalm 119:10-11
Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, an Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us, but part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.⁣
~ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness⁣
⁣
Listen in to 10 Things Helping Me to Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and s I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and systems that help me to get things done. It’s a practical episode, and I hope to encourage you, if nothing else, to take a look at how your days are going and ask yourself some simple questions like:⁣
⁣
What is working and what is not working?⁣
Where do I find myself wasting time?⁣
Where can I make better use of my time?⁣
Can I simplify my days or various tasks or automate them?⁣
⁣
These are just a few questions to ponder, and there are many more you can ask, but the main one is to seek the Lord and ask him, are you a good steward of your time? Is your desire to honor Him amid your days and in how you spend your time?⁣
⁣
Many more than ten systems or tools help me manage my days, but these items top my list. I’ve shared more in detail on some of these in past blog posts or podcast episodes, but I wanted to put together an episode that walked through how I use each one.⁣
⁣
An episode like this one is more helpful to me than you because it helps me to think through my days and systems and tools and determine what is working for me and what isn’t.⁣
⁣
Listen to 10 Things Helping Me Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sani Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sanity, reduce stress, eat healthy and avoid the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” It sounds great, right, and we’d all love to do it, but how do we get there?⁣
⁣
Menu planning is the answer to all those questions above. We have a jam-packed episode today filled with tons of tips, examples, and ideas, so stick with me, and I know there will be something that will appeal to each of you in some way.⁣
⁣
Listen in at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
~ Joni Eareckson Tada⁣
⁣
Come listen to EP 70: Finding Forgiveness After an Abortion at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Access the FREE Library!

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Thankful Homemaker · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy & Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email