Pastor Brian Abaho of Watoto Church delves more into how Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection was God’s only ultimate plan for our redemption – and why this reality should teach us to turn away from sin and live for Jesus.
Why is the cross central to our faith?
As early as the second century, Christians were associated with the cross. History records that Christians were referred to as devotees, fanatics, freaks of the cross – they were so committed to it – and by the fourth century, there quite a number of symbols, along with the cross that were symbols of Christianity.
They had the cross, a symbol that resembles a fish, some used a symbol of a shepherd’s stuff. The cross had by that time become rare because many associated it with death, pain, shame.
The Romans had adopted the crucifixion that happened on the cross from a group of people called the Barbarians. These were really tough guys who dealt with their enemies in such a harsh way. When they found someone who was an enemy to the state, committed treason or some kind of capital offence against the Roman Emperor or government they would crucify them. It was gruesome, painful and horrendous.
It was designed in a way that a prisoner would hung on the cross and his thigh muscles would eventually fail so that he couldn’t support himself to his legs. That in turn transferred his body weight to his arms pulling his shoulders from their sockets until they popped out.
He was left in a position where his chest and rib-cage were thrust forward. The weight of the body pulling down on the arms made breathing extremely difficult. As the prisoner struggled to get air, that lack of oxygen in the blood would now begin to damage the tissues and blood vessels. That in-turn would allow fluid to diffuse out of the blood into the tissues including the lungs and the heart. Lungs would begin to stiffen and the pressure around the heart would make it more difficult for it to pump blood. The deceased oxygen would then damage the heat muscle which could case cardiac arrest. Eventually the person would die. And it was designed that you would go through this for about 2-3 days.
Wasn’t there any other way?
Crucifixion was the worst form of punishment anyone could ever receive. I begun to think, how could a loving father in heaven allow his son to experience such pain and misery. Why would God allow Jesus to die on the cross that way. Wasn’t there any other way? Some methods were quicker. Why the cross? I begun to understand that the God we serve is a God of order and purpose – and he ordained that His son would come at a time in history when the worst form of capital punishments existed.
By the end of the fourth century, Christianity had grown so much that it had become a state religion of the Roman empire and when it got to that point they dismissed crucifixion as a form of capital punishment.
Is it for us that He died?
Jesus paid a high price for your sin and my sin. It was painful, ugly, brutal and God allowed Jesus to experience that so that you and I can have a relationship with Him. The cross is not just jewelry or something that we flash when we want some demons to go. It is not something we hold over our selves when we want some good luck before exams.
I want you to understand that the cross is that one place and moment where we see two things – the justice of God and the love of God. We call it the paradox of the cross. When we talk of His justice we talk of the fact that He is fair – and that when He passes judgement, it is commensurate with the level of the offence that has been committed. God is just, He hates sin because it destroys his purpose for your life. God must punish sin, the bible tells us in Romans 6 that the wages of sin is death. Someone had to die. It had to be dealt with.
You and I were destined to be condemned by God because we are sinners, but instead God allowed the punishment of our sin to be placed on Jesus. Sin destroys God’s image in your life and robs you of everything he has prepared for you. Sin separates us from God (Gen 3) – I know we are human and we fail, but I want to remind you that God hates sin. We should never become familiar with sin. We should never take for granted the fact that our sin took Jesus to the cross.
Today there is a gospel that is preached that; oh your sins were paid for, past, present and future. Now you can live anyway that you want. And that gets people excited and they clap their hands and lift up their chairs; This is a lie from the pit of hell. Yes, Jesus died for your sins, past, present and future, but when you realize that it cost Him his life, you turn away from sin and live for Jesus.
editor@ugchristiannews.com
