The Hope of the Cross

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”

Think of it for a moment. Jesus—burdened with all the weaknesses of fallen humanity in His human nature—was in agony. His human desire shrank from the fate before Him—a cruel, torturous death at the hands of His enemies. As He knelt there in the garden, great drops of blood dripped from His forehead as He wrestled with God in prayer.

Yet, love prevailed. Love for you, love for me. As God the Father brought the picture of your face, and of my face, before Jesus, He could not say no.

And because He said yes to that great sacrifice on the cross, you and I have hope. Because of that sacrifice, every sin in our record is blotted out—under one condition! What is that condition? John 3:16 tells us the answer: We must “believe in Him.” Faith is the key that unlocks heaven’s storehouse. Everything is possible to him that believeth. And is it our own faith that we have to muster up to believe in Him? No; God has granted to each and every one of us a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3), which will grow and strengthen as we exercise it. When Satan throws our past mistakes and failures in our face to discourage us, it is our privilege to throw Jesus’ sacrifice in Satan’s face, and remind Him that Jesus’ blood now covers us, and he (Satan) is a defeated foe.

But the miracle doesn’t stop here. If Christ had stayed in the grave, we would still have no hope. But Romans 6:4 tells us that Christ’s resurrection gives us power to walk in newness of life—to not only have a clear record covering our past, but also to maintain that clear record from now until Christ comes again. How is this possible? Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, living out Jesus’ perfect character in us. And again, this can happen only when we believe in His power and claim His promises in faith, believing that He loves us and will accomplish what He has promised. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” I John 5:4.

Will you have faith in Him today? Will you trust in His righteousness to cover you and empower you to walk in newness of life?