Paul told the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
These statements Paul made about himself ought to apply to every Christian.
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Jesus’ death on the cross is the central event of the Bible. It is the sacrifice that made forgiveness, redemption, and salvation possible for all mankind. Jesus foretold of His death (Matthew 16:21). The Scriptures prophesied of this event (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; et al.). Sufficient evidence has been provided to produce belief.
In addition to all the divinely given evidence, the gospel writers also recorded comments from some uninspired men as they spoke about Jesus and His crucifixion. It is interesting to see what others understood about Him, even some without the benefit of Old Testament teaching.
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“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
As Paul wrote to the brethren in Corinth, he reminded them of the fundamental truths in the gospel upon which everything else was built. In the verses above, the apostle mentioned four facts that are “of first importance” to God’s saving message.
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Was Jesus actually forsaken on the cross? Did the Father turn His back on the Son? Maybe believe the answer to these questions is “yes” based on their interpretation of Matthew 27:46. When we look at the context, however, we see that Jesus was not separated from the Father while on the cross.
Tim Haile has pointed out several problems with the idea that Jesus was actually forsaken on the cross in a recent article posted on the website of the Parkway church of Christ. I encourage you to click on the link below and read that article.
“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” (by Tim Haile)
Some time ago, I also wrote an article with the same title. If you are interested you may refer to that article as well – “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
When Peter tried to defend Jesus from the mob that came to arrest Him, Jesus responded, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:52-53).
How big of a force did Jesus have at His disposal? Depending on which source you reference, a legion was made up of between 4,000 and 6,000+ men. Let us pick a number in the middle (5,000) as a point of reference. Jesus could have called twelve of these angelic companies of 5,000 to come to His aid.
We sometimes sing a song about how Jesus could have called 10,000 angels. Actually, according to the figures above, He could have called around 60,000 angels. How powerful would such a force be?
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Shortly before His arrest, trials, beatings, and crucifixion, Jesus spent time in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to the Father. Some interpret this prayer in such a way as to try and show that Jesus was praying that He might escape death. They say that this was a moment of weakness for Jesus and describe Him as being in dread of the cross. They depict Jesus (perhaps unwittingly) as if He were some miserable coward. Can such an interpretation be correct?
Notice Matthew’s account of the Lord’s prayer:
“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there to pray.’ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.’ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’ […] He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:36-39, 42).
After reading of His prayer, let us seek to answer this question: Did Jesus wish to avoid the cross?
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“As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross” (Matthew 27:32).
Why was Simon made to perform this task? It was because Jesus stumbled as He carried the cross, right? That is what so many people believe. But if you look at the gospel accounts, there is no mention whatsoever of Jesus stumbling while on the way to be crucified.
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What does “propitiation” mean? How is “justification” connected to salvation? What does “sanctification” look like in our day-to-day lives? The Bible uses some powerful words to describe God’s plan to save mankind. However, these words are not always easy to understand, especially when they are not part of our everyday vocabulary. This book explores key Bible terms that unlock the message of the gospel.
Big Words in the Bible examines five important words – Propitiation, Reconciliation, Sanctification, Justification, and Resurrection – using plain language to see how the Scriptures describe these concepts and how the apostle Paul employs them in his letter to the Romans. This book also contains an appendix with eleven additional articles to explore these topics further.
Whether you are new to the Bible and want to grow in your understanding or want a simple way to explain these core gospel doctrines to others, this book will be helpful. With a focus on the Scriptures, Big Words in the Bible helps break down these fundamental topics to shed light on the life-changing message of the gospel and the salvation found in it.
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