The power of the Cross

This week I have been thinking quite alot about the Cross and the nature of what exactly was acheived there. The theological term which I came across so often was that of penal substitutionary atonement, belief in this doctrine can be a very controversial term and can create obvious divisions between many Christians. Many people reject the idea of 'bloody cross' theology, believing that God does not need to kill to forgive. Similarly there are those who do not believe that Christ could suffer the indignity of the Cross, and undergo 'cosmic child abuse' at the hands of God the Father. Some people choose to over intellectualise the meaning of the Cross, saying that Christ died to identify with the sins of humanity, and in turn mankind would be stirred to change their position towards God, that man would become more 'accepting' of God.

Yet those who reject the bloody cross theology also reject the justice and wrath of God, similarly they neglect the seriousness of sin, and the fact that God cannot stand sin and must take payment for it. Those who go along with idea of cosmic child abuse fail to see the willingness of the Son in submitting to the Father. Those who believe that Christ died to identify with humanity neglect to realise that the Cross was acheived not to change the position of man towards God, but the position of God towards man.

The reality of the gospel is none of these weak, alternative and unbiblical positions. The Son of God became man for the principal reason that his blood may be shed and that he may die on a cross; this was something the Son willingly undertook. Christ came to earth to live a sinless life, that when placed upon Cross he would prove a suitable payment, a suitable sacrifice to appease the wrath of God against mankind. The death that should have been ours was paid in full, by Jesus...he was the substition for our punishment.